


Drown

by fictorium, InspectorBoxer, sgvirtualseason, zennie



Series: Supergirl Virtual Season [7]
Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Aliens, Animated GIFs, Bisexual Female Character, Canon-Typical Violence, Collaboration, Corruption, Cover Art, Digital Art, Digital Painting, F/F, Femslash, Gifset, Green Kryptonite, Journalism, Knives, Kryptonite, Lesbian Character, Memory Alteration, Police Brutality, Sharing a Bed, Sieges
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-17
Updated: 2017-07-22
Packaged: 2018-12-03 12:20:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 23,366
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11532093
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fictorium/pseuds/fictorium, https://archiveofourown.org/users/InspectorBoxer/pseuds/InspectorBoxer, https://archiveofourown.org/users/sgvirtualseason/pseuds/sgvirtualseason, https://archiveofourown.org/users/zennie/pseuds/zennie
Summary: When Scorcher returns, Maggie’s dilemma comes to light. The DEO uncovers how unsettlingly deep Cadmus have their claws in the NCPD. Cat and Kara team up to investigate the police, but Lillian takes drastic measures to make sure their story never sees the light of day.





	1. Act I

Tonight on Supergirl Virtual Season...  
  
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Gorgeous gifset courtesy of mitski ([ao3](http://archiveofourown.org/users/mitski) | [tumblr](https://mitski.tumblr.com)). Be sure to let her know how much you love it!


	2. Act I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kara and Cat team up to investigate the NCPD’s ties to Cadmus while the DEO launches an investigation of their own. Scorcher’s return puts the heat on Maggie… and Lillian Luthor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> @xy0009 is at it again with the loveliness: ([ao3](http://archiveofourown.org/users/xy0009) | [tumblr](http://xy0009.tumblr.com))

**TEASER**

The stench of burnt flesh hit Maggie as she walked up to the bodega, making her glad she skipped dinner. Another week, another high end neighborhood hit by a roving band of thugs. This was the first time things had gotten violent, though. “What do we have?” she asked the nearest tech.

“Three vics here. Fourth inside. A uniform is pulling your security footage.”

“Anybody see anything?”

“Three aliens walked in and demanded money from the bodega owner. Guy behind the counter handed it over without a fight. Wasn’t fast enough, I guess. They wasted him and three people in front of the store.”

“How do you know they were aliens?”

“Witnesses say one of ‘em had gills. Another caused our crispy corpses here.” The tech shook his head. “Sometimes you gotta wonder if those Cadmus people have the right idea, you know?”

Maggie pinned him with a hard look. “You realize the majority of the crime in this city, including homicide, is committed by guys who look like you, right, Hawkins?”

For a second his expression hardened, but one glance at Maggie, and red bloomed on his fair skin beneath his scraggly beard and mustache. “Fair point, Sawyer.” Hawkins dipped his head, giving her a wisp of a smile before walking off to log his evidence.

One of their regular techs, Ruth, was standing over the bodies in her crime scene suit. Maggie motioned to the mess in front of them, and she got the nod to approach. The front window of the bodega was blown out, and she peered inside, seeing a few more uniforms milling about. Glass crunched beneath her boots as she crouched down by the closest body and lifted the sheet, grimacing at the corpse beneath. The damage was so extensive she couldn’t make out species let alone other identifying features. She let the sheet fall. “They all like this?”

Ruth nodded. “‘Cept the owner. Looks like Supergirl lasered him in the chest or something.”

A fresh chill touched the base of Maggie’s spine. “He was shot with some kind of laser?”

“Nope. Got a glimpse of the security footage. One of your perps is Infernian or Kryptonian.” Ruth wiggled a hand in front of her eyes. “Heat vision. You told me they’re the only two, remember?”

Maggie jerked to her feet and walked past the restless crowd, their hushed mutterings carrying a decidedly anti-alien slant. This was exactly the sort of thing Cadmus needed to push their agenda.

Several uniforms were watching the surveillance footage inside the store. Maggie shouldered past them to get a better view and almost wished she hadn’t. As the video looped, three aliens confronted the terrified store owner, who handed over the cash without complaint. His reward for cooperating was a blast of heat vision to the chest. It burned straight through him, setting the lottery signs behind him on fire.

Her breath caught when the perp turned on the monitor and she got a clear view of the alien’s features. _Scorcher._

Maggie had handed her over to Cadmus instead of the DEO, and now the blood of these four victims was on her hands.

***

**ACT I**

The yellow crime scene tape billowed and flickered in the late evening breeze off the ocean, and Kara tried not to identify the pungent smell that came with it. It was one part of fighting crime that she’d never gotten used to. She threaded through the crowd, her reporter’s notebook clutched to her chest. A car chase on the other side of town had required Supergirl’s attention, but while she’d been stopping the thief, someone else had been committing a murder.

Mindful that she was here as Kara Danvers and not Supergirl, she lingered behind the tape, staring at the three sheet-covered bodies on the sidewalk. Lowering her glasses, she took a glimpse with her x-ray vision and immediately regretted it. These people must have suffered, and the people who killed them had been cruel about it. Alex had told her time and again that it wasn’t possible to save everyone, but seeing the carnage made Kara’s blood run cold. She should have been there.

She could have saved them.

Her superhearing picked up snippets of conversation from inside the store, enough for Kara to learn the suspect was an Infernian. That particular race seemed to be causing all kinds of problems in National City lately.

The swish of a windbreaker caught her attention, and Kara spied Maggie hurrying out of the store and stumbling away from the scene. Alex had told her what had gone down between her and Maggie a week ago, and Kara had been peeved ever since. No one hurt her sister, even unintentionally, without finding themselves on Kara’s bad side.

She was about to follow when Maggie clutched the side of a police cruiser and doubled over, her retching audible at this distance only to Kara’s ears. She’d figured Maggie shared Alex’s steel stomach for crime scenes, so it took her by surprise.

Kara needed to get inside that crime scene tape. Weaving through the throng of onlookers again before scrambling out of sight, she used a burst of superspeed to change into her suit and leap for the sky. She touched down near the cruisers, ignoring the excited shouts as people spotted her.

“Detective, are you okay?”

Maggie spun, and Kara realized she was shaking with tears in her eyes. Forgetting appearances, she gripped Maggie’s arm.

“What’s wrong? Did you know one of the victims?”

“Don’t.” Maggie jerked away, glancing at the other cops who were eyeing them curiously now. “It’s bad for both of us if they think we’re… whatever we are.”

“Hey.” Kara stepped in front of her when Maggie tried to bolt. “I know what went down between you and Alex, and while I’m not happy about it…”

“This has nothing to do with Alex.” Maggie wiped a trembling hand over her mouth. “Stay out of this one, okay? For all our sakes.”

“Problem, Detective?”

Maggie gasped sharply, and the fear and anger in her eyes unnerved Kara more. Turning, Kara frowned as Captain Braden walked toward them. He made her skin crawl.

“No, sir,” Maggie ground out, but her tone suggested the title was the only respect she afforded him. “Supergirl wanted to know if she could help. I explained there was nothing she could do.”

Braden eyed Kara for a moment, looking wary and less than impressed. “You two know each other?”

“We met when Detective Sawyer arrested the Infernian trying to kill the president.” Kara didn’t miss Maggie’s flinch at the mention of the alien, but Braden’s intensity was even more troubling.

“That’s right,” he murmured. “Didn’t know you were buddies with the Girl of Steel now,” Braden said, focusing on Maggie.

“I need to get back to work.” Maggie brushed past him, but he grabbed her arm, holding her in place. Kara willed herself not to intervene, suspecting she would only make things worse.

“I’ll expect a full report later. Understood, Sawyer?”

Maggie’s glare was deadly, but she offered a short, clipped nod before ripping her arm free. She didn’t give Kara so much as a glance as she walked away.

“You can run along too, Supergirl. Like the detective said, you’re a little too late to be of any use.” The base of Kara’s neck prickled. She knew when she was being pushed out, and that meant there was something to hide. Braden was smug, not an ounce of remorse for the victims.

Oh, she really didn’t like this guy. Resisting the urge to punch him through the nearest wall, Kara took a menacing step forward, watching in satisfaction as some of his bravado fled and he took a step back. “Have a nice evening, Captain.”

With one last withering look, Kara left him behind.

***

“Want another?”

Alex heaved an epic sigh and shook her head, but she stared longingly at her nearly empty glass of scotch. “Probably shouldn’t.”

“Probably,” M’gann agreed, wiping the counter down and sending peanut shells fluttering to the dusty floor. Getting friendly with a DEO agent wasn’t in her best interests, but she’d never seen a woman grab Maggie’s attention quite like this one. The way Maggie had been moping around the last week suggested there was trouble in paradise, however. “So, I have to ask…”

Blearily, Alex lifted her head and waited.

“You and Maggie. You guys work out some sort of visitation schedule or something?”

“Visitation?”

“You’ve been alternating nights all week. It’s like she got Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and you took Tuesday and Thursday. My bar has never been a custody issue in a breakup before.”

Alex snorted. “You have to be together before you can break up.” She scooped up her glass, saluting M’gann with it before polishing off the contents in one swallow. When she set the tumbler back on the counter, M’gann poured Alex another, figuring it was the best way to keep the agent talking.

“On the house.” M’gann tossed her towel over her shoulder and leaned conspiratorially on the bar. “She didn’t make a move, huh?”

Morosely, Alex shook her head. “Nope, I was that idiot,” she slurred a little. “But she wasn’t interested.”

That was crap, and M’gann knew it. For the first time in months, something other than Cadmus had been on Maggie’s mind. A lot. “What happened?”

“I kissed her.” Alex twirled the glass between her fingers. “I shouldn’t have. I’ve got too much going on to be in a relationship right now. My father…” She bit her lip. “I shouldn’t have,” Alex said again, more softly this time. “But on the plus side, now I can focus on what I need to.”

“How’s that focus right now?”

“Little blurry,” Alex admitted before taking another sip.

M’gann did things for her customers Alex needn’t know about, but playing matchmaker usually wasn’t one of them. “I’ve known Maggie for a few years now.”

“Let me guess. I’m not her type?” Alex set one elbow on the bar and rested her chin against her fist.

“Maggie doesn’t have a type. She’s all about the casual thing. Never known her to be in a long-term relationship. Casual what you wanted?”

“No,” Alex said after a moment, staring into the depths of her glass. “You saying I scared her off?”

“You scare her, Danvers. You scare the hell out of her.” M’gann leaned closer, copying Alex’s pose. “But I mean that in the best way possible.”

Alex frowned. “Then why…?”

“Maggie has her reasons. I promise you, though, your feelings aren’t one-sided. Don’t give up on her,” M’gann urged. “She’s worth it.”

Alex’s phone rang, and she excused herself to answer it. “Danvers.” Phone still cradled against her ear, she slowly stood and grabbed her jacket off the barstool before slipping it on. “No. It’s fine. I’m on my way.” She hung up, tucking the phone into her back pocket. “Speaking of people who are worth it? You should give J’onn a chance. You couldn’t ask for a better friend.” She fished a twenty out of her pocket and tossed it on the counter. “Thanks for the drink.” Slapping her hand on the bar, Alex headed out into the night.

Alex was likely right where J’onn was concerned, but she didn’t know the whole story and wasn’t going to if M’gann had anything to say about it. Maybe it was better for all of them if she kept her secrets and let them keep theirs.

***

Stepping out onto her balcony, Cat breathed in the night air as she savored a scotch before bed. Carter had drawn out his bedtime reading before finally falling asleep with the book on his chest, and with him safely tucked up for the night, Cat had turned to the low rumble of the city to keep her company.

She hid her reflexive smile at the familiar flutter of a cape. Whatever was happening between her and Kara, it was intensifying, getting too sweet and strong to resist for much longer. Midvale had been a turning point between them, not a night since that Cat hadn’t ached to be close to her again.

“Have you taken up stalking or are you just stopping by?” Cat teased before taking a sip from her glass.

“Stopping by,” Kara admitted, her tone warm, “but you look…”

Cat glanced at her then, finding Supergirl hovering a few feet from the balcony. Arching an eyebrow, she silently dared Kara to continue.

“You look… beautiful… with the city and the lights.” Kara laughed softly, the blush coloring her cheeks charming Cat to no end.

Cat smirked, enjoying the power she had over this woman. It seemed only fair, considering how much Kara had over her.

“I haven’t seen you this relaxed in a while,” Kara explained. “Not in National City anyway. I didn’t want to disturb you.”

It had been a few days since they’d seen one another, and Cat drifted closer, delighted by Kara’s unexpected visit. “I guess getting away was good for me.”

“Me too.” Kara finally touched down on the balcony. “Is this a bad time?”

“Hmm. Depends,” Cat said, pretending to give the question some serious thought.

“On?” Kara gamely played along.

Cat set her glass on the rail, catching the scent of Kara’s shampoo on the breeze. It was light, with an enticing hint of vanilla. “Is this a professional visit or a personal one?”

Kara tilted her head. “Someone is in a good mood.”

Shrugging one shoulder, Cat didn’t deny it. Since Midvale, she’d felt more like herself, more in control. Today had been a good day. “Will this visit change that?”

“I hope not.” Kara looked out at the city. “I… could use some advice, though.”

Crossing her arms, Cat leaned on the rail, enjoying the way the city lights bathed Kara’s features, bringing out the blue of her eyes against the night. “Again, personal or professional?”

“A little of both?” Kara smiled weakly. “It’s… not exactly cheery subject matter, though. You know what? It can wait. I should probably–” She took a step back and Cat reached out, grabbing her by the hand to keep her there.

Kara’s breath hitched at the touch, and Cat’s own breathing grew shallow in return. “Tell me.”

“Um… It’s about Maggie.”

“Sawyer?”

“There was a robbery at a bodega earlier that turned violent. Three aliens were responsible.”

“That’s the fourth attack in the last few weeks, isn’t it?”

Kara’s brow crinkled in confusion.

“It’s not enough to simply report the news,” Cat huffed. “You have to live it. Breathe it. _Know_ it. Nothing of importance should happen on your beat that you don’t know about.” Her free hand rested on her hip. “What the hell is Snapper teaching you in my absence?”

“I’ve been a little busy,” Kara said, straightening her shoulders. “You know… New job.” She looked down at her crest. “Old job. Trying to stop Cadmus. Give a girl a break.”

Cat rolled her eyes, but she stroked the back of Kara’s hand with her thumb, soothing any sting left by the rebuke. “A band of alien thugs is terrorizing exclusive neighborhoods. Hit mine first, in fact.”

Kara stiffened, but Cat waved her off with a flick of her other wrist.

“Relax. It was a convenience store robbery that had nothing to do with me. I’m paranoid about everything right now, and this incident barely made a blip on my radar. That, and I haven’t set foot in a store like that since the mid 90s.” Cat eyed her, frowning at the tension permeating Kara’s frame. “Maggie is investigating the case?”

“Yeah.” Kara turned her wrist so she could take Cat’s hand in hers. It required all Cat’s willpower not to react, but surely Kara had heard her heart kick against her ribs and begin to beat double time.

“Your band of thugs graduated to murder tonight,” Kara said. “Maggie was… rattled when I spoke to her at the scene. But it’s her captain that really bothered me. Braden? Ring any bells?”

“Frank Braden?” Cat asked, and Kara nodded. “I’m familiar. Not personally, but as far removed from my old reporter beat as I am, I still hear his name from time to time.”

“In a good way?”

Cat pursed her lips. “There are rumors. He’s not a very nice man from what I’ve been told.”

“He’s not,” Kara agreed. “I’ve been around him twice. Once as Kara Danvers and once as Supergirl. It sounds crazy, but both times I think Maggie was trying to protect me from him.”

“You’re worried about her? I’m sure Detective Sawyer can take care of herself.”

“I can’t shake this feeling she’s mixed up in something she doesn’t know how to get out of.”

“Something to do with Braden?” Cat guessed, and Kara nodded again. “And maybe the murders tonight?”

“I don’t know about that…” Kara hedged, but Cat gripped her hand harder.

“Captains don’t show up at crime scenes as a rule. You said Maggie was rattled before he arrived?”

Kara’s shoulders sagged slightly. “I overheard the cops talking. One of the killers was an Infernian.”

“And that’s relevant?”

“Maybe. Right before we rescued you from Cadmus, Alex and I helped Maggie arrest an Infernian who was threatening to kill the president. She reportedly committed suicide in a holding cell at the police station.”

“Reportedly? You don’t believe it?”

“The whole thing felt too neat. It’s been bugging me, but with everything going on I just…”

A tingle skittered up Cat’s spine, one she hadn’t felt in a long, long time. It was almost as seductive as Kara’s touch. “You’re onto a story,” she murmured.

“Am I? Or am I seeing things that aren’t there because Maggie doesn’t want to date Alex, and I’m mad at her?”

Cat’s eyebrows elevated at that, but she ignored the intel for now. “Kara, you have good instincts. Stop second guessing yourself so much.”

“Sorry.”

“And what have I told you about apologizing? You have good instincts,” she repeated, “and I have excellent instincts, and every last one of them says you’ve found a string you need to tug on.”

“But what if I get Maggie in trouble?”

“What if you get her out of trouble?” Cat countered, and Kara’s brow furrowed sharply as she pondered that possibility. “And there is a less appealing option we need to consider.”

“What?”

“Maybe Maggie Sawyer _is_ trouble.”

Kara rubbed at her temples. “She helped save you. She saved me, even after the DEO shut her out. Whatever Maggie is or isn’t… it’s not black and white.”

“Things and people rarely are. The longer you do this job, the more you’re going to learn that. Normally, I would never allow a junior reporter to investigate a case like this. Tangling with the police can have consequences for the news organization as well as the reporter, but you’re uniquely equipped to handle Braden.”

“I don’t think I’m ready. Maybe James…”

“It’s your story, Kara. Own it.” Kara looked away and scraped her boot on the ground noncommittally. Cat wanted so badly to swoop in and offer to help, but she hesitated. Once had been a distraction, a way to stay protected after releasing herself from the DEO. To offer again would be much more than a gentle nudge and a nugget of free advice.

“I’m not sure I know how to do that. Not entirely.”

Cat smiled. Of course Kara caught her drift. Didn’t she always? “Then what would you say to a little help?”

***

Maggie finished her report, her nausea from the crime scene still tickling at her throat. Whatever Cadmus had done to Scorcher, releasing her back on the public to wreak havoc was a dumb, reckless move. If anyone connected the dots, realized the Infernian was the same one who had tried to kill the president and reportedly died in NCPD custody, Braden and his whole network of corrupt cops could be exposed. No way Kara didn’t start poking into this, and then she’d draw Alex in…

Maggie vividly remembered the warmth of Alex’s mouth against her own, the taste of her. That damn kiss had dominated her thoughts ever since it happened, but after tonight, any hope they’d had of being anything more was as dead as those poor souls in the bodega.

This was the tipping point. Maggie felt it in her bones. For better or worse, things might finally come to an end, even if there was no chance in hell of a happy ending for her. At least she could spread that unhappiness around, she decided with a glance at the captain’s closed door.

The thought of Braden in handcuffs gave her solace as she signed her report and tossed it in a tray on her desk.

Maggie planned to go to the bar and get so wasted she couldn’t remember her own name, but she hesitated when the captain jerked his door open, his features angry and flushed. She kept her head down, acting like she was searching for something in her desk, trying not to draw his ire.

Out of the corner of her eye, Maggie watched him storm out. With one last longing thought for the bar and M’gann’s company, Maggie stood and slipped on her leather jacket.

Braden looked like he had someone to meet, and Maggie needed to know who that was.

***

“Sorry to call you in on your night off,” J’onn greeted Alex as she adjusted her collar, having just changed back into her DEO attire.

“Not like I had plans or anything. What’s up?”

“Detective Sawyer not available?” His tone was playful, and Alex reddened. J’onn was like a father to her, and she didn’t want to know what thoughts he might have picked up on.

“Nosey,” Alex accused, and he chuckled. “I was at the bar when you called. Better not send me out until I sober up a little.”

“Noted, but that wasn’t the plan. Winn called me in too. He must be onto something.”

“That I am, boys and girls.” Winn scurried past them with a soda in hand before sitting at his computer. “Our little alien gang of hoodlums struck again.” He took a slurp from the can and set it aside as Alex and J’onn drifted closer.

Alex settled her hands on her hips. “I get why this is on our radar, aliens and all, but it seems like small potatoes. Shouldn’t the cops handle it?”

“They upped their game tonight. Killed four people.” Winn brought up police photos of the crime scene.

Alex swallowed hard when she spied Maggie in one of them, fighting back both longing and embarrassment.

“Now that’s up our alley,” J’onn agreed, folding his arms over his chest. “But I assume there must be more to it for you to call us in.”

“We got a good look at them finally.” Winn scattered the profile of one of the killers over the monitors.

“Oh my god,” Alex muttered.

“Unless all Infernians look like that, that’s Scorcher.” Winn swiveled his chair to face them.

“Reports of her death have been greatly exaggerated, it would seem.” J’onn glanced worriedly at Alex. “You think Maggie played a part in this?”

“I…” Alex faltered. “I mean, Maggie seemed like she was caught up in some kind of trouble, but…” She turned to Winn, her mind racing in a hundred directions, none of them anywhere Alex wanted to go. “Remember when I asked you to look into prominent people in National City? Influencers? Search their browser history for changes in behavior that had them suddenly slanting toward an anti-alien bias?”

“Yeah. I’m still running it. Snapper got past us, but no one else has pinged on our radar.”

“What are you thinking, Alex?” J’onn asked.

“What if…?” Alex hesitated, afraid to give voice to her thoughts. “What if you turned that program on the NCPD?”

“All of them?” Winn blurted. “That’s like eight _thousand_ officers.”

“All of them,” Alex confirmed. “Kara mentioned Maggie’s captain struck her the wrong way. Start with him.”

“An anti-alien bias isn’t proof of anything,” J’onn cautioned. “NCPD let the Infernian go somehow. Wouldn’t that suggest the opposite?”

“Winn said it, sir. This gang is upping their stakes. Hitting different neighborhoods. Terrorizing people…”

“You suspect that’s the plan? Make the public fearful of aliens?”

“It could be,” Alex said. “Cadmus snatched Cat to manipulate public perception. What does a gang of hostile aliens accomplish? Two different methods, same result. And if the gang jumped to this level of violence this fast? The other robberies were trial runs. We’re going to see a hell of a lot more killing going forward.”

“Maggie can’t be mixed up in this, though,” Winn scoffed. “She saved Cat and Kara. She knows Kara is Supergirl…”

Alex stared at the photo of Maggie still on one of the monitors. Things Maggie had uttered started to make a sick sort of sense. She’d been telling Alex in her own way, warning her off. “She’s mixed up in something. If the NCPD is faking the death of an alien this powerful and then… turning her loose? We need to understand why. Who is behind it. How pervasive it is.”

“If the goal is to make the public turn on aliens, then we know who’s behind it.” J’onn eyed her with sympathy. “Maggie could be directly or indirectly working for Cadmus.”

 _Cadmus._ Alex had known where this was taking them, but hearing it spoken aloud, in the same sentence as Maggie’s name…

“Shouldn’t we be running this past Washington, like we did when Kara was missing?” Winn asked, at least trying to stick to something like protocol.

“We can’t trust outsiders,” Alex argued. “Clearly we should have been more careful about who we’ve trusted so far.”

Maggie’s dark eyes, her dimpled smile, haunted Alex in that moment. She wouldn’t believe Maggie was _willingly_ part of any of this. She couldn’t.

But if she was in bed with the organization holding Alex’s father prisoner and threatening her sister?

Alex would make her pay.

***

Lillian’s Mercedes rolled almost silently into the parking lot. She spied Braden ahead, pacing in the sand that had drifted across the beachfront lot. This would be tedious, but if he had been so bold as to demand a meeting, something had spooked him.

She rolled the window down, letting in a rush of cool air off the ocean. It had been nearly one in the morning when the message had come. Although she had been awake and working in her lab, she was less than amused by the interruption. Braden worked for her, not the other way around.

“About time,” he grumbled as she joined him in the beams of the Mercedes’ headlights.

“Captain,” she greeted coolly. “I don’t take kindly to being summoned at this hour. Or any hour for that matter.”

“Know what I don’t take kindly to? You undermining everything we’ve worked for. I thought we had a good thing going. I get alien scum off the streets. You get your superpowered lab rats. It was a win-win for both of us. What changed?”

Lillian narrowed her eyes at his impudence. “What are you blathering about? Nothing has changed.”

“What about the aliens you’ve got knocking over convenience stores? Were you going to let me in on that little plan?”

A flicker of a cruel smile darted over her lips. “Good detecting skills, Captain. That shiny badge isn’t just for show.”

“I’m in no mood, Dr. Luthor. You always think you’re the smartest person in the damn room, but you’ve done something really dumb this time.”

She crossed her arms, refusing to be baited. “Call it job security, Frank. Yes, a few innocents are being sacrificed, but a few more of these attacks and the tide of public perception will turn against Supergirl and her ilk.”

“I get the plan, but you shouldn’t have used the Infernian.”

Lillian never liked being told what to do, especially by men like him. “She was easy to control. More susceptible to… suggestion. Why is that a problem?”

“Because Scorcher is supposed to be dead. She ‘died’ in an NCPD holding cell. Now her face is out there. Someone is gonna put it together.”

“Hmm.” Lillian stared at the black waves tipped with moonlight as they pounded against the shore. “There were no photos posted of our little firestarter, and there are plenty of other Infernians who’ve infested our planet. If it’s press you’re worried about, give me names, and I’ll handle it.”

“I can think of two people you better handle, and fast. One’s a reporter. Danvers. Works at CatCo Magazine. Came sniffing around after we handed Scorcher over.”

Lillian’s jaw tightened at the revelation.

“The other might be more of a problem.”

“And why is that?” she asked darkly.

“Supergirl helped bring Scorcher into custody that night. You gonna bump off the Girl of Steel too?” Braden mocked.

“Why am I just hearing about this? That wasn’t in any of the reports, from you or the press.”

“I thought you’d experiment on the Infernian just like the others. How was I supposed to know you were gonna throw her back on the streets with some other alien thugs? Have her make a scene and get noticed?”

“Seems we’ve had a breakdown in communication on both sides. That’s… unfortunate.” Lillian glared at him, tempted to kill the messenger. For once, Supergirl wasn’t the bigger threat, her alter ego was. Kara Danvers could expose an entire arm of Cadmus’s operation, and the only power she needed to do it was the power of the press.

“What’s unfortunate is Supergirl showed up at the crime scene tonight. Caught her talking to Sawyer. Apparently they’re pals after busting Scorcher together.”

“Sawyer? The detective who handles the drop-offs?”

“That’s the one.”

“She’s your problem, Captain. Eliminate her if you think she’s getting out of line.”

“I plan to, but what are we supposed to do about Supergirl? If she gets a look at Scorcher she’s gonna know. Neither of us can afford that.”

Lillian smiled as the perfect plan came to mind. “Perhaps Detective Sawyer could do us a favor.”

“A favor?”

“I think her last assignment for us should be her biggest one yet. She’s going to kill Supergirl.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For these brilliant editors, much thanks:  
> catherinegrant ([ao3](http://archiveofourown.org/users/catherinegrant) | [tumblr](http://catherinegrant.tumblr.com/ask)),@spaceshipsarecool ([ao3](http://archiveofourown.org/users/spaceshipsarecool) | [tumblr](http://spaceshipsarecool.tumblr.com/ask)), @Revolos55 ([ao3](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Revolos55/pseuds/Revolos55) | [tumblr](http://saunteringvaguelydownwards.tumblr.com/ask)), and @musetotheworld ([ao3](http://archiveofourown.org/users/musetotheworld) | [tumblr](http://musetotheworld.tumblr.com/ask))


	3. Act II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tonight on SGVS....

A marvelous moment from @pinkrabbitpro. Rave about it in the comments or hit the [Tumblr ask](http://pinkrabbitpro.tumblr.com/ask). 


	4. Act II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cat, Kara, and James have a choice to make when they discover how many cops could be working for Cadmus. Alex confronts Maggie and learns something she never expected. Maggie has a final favor to ask of M’gann.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> @xy0009 is at it again with the loveliness: ([ao3](http://archiveofourown.org/users/xy0009) | [tumblr](http://xy0009.tumblr.com))

“Morning,” Kara greeted cheerfully as she opened the door, her smile falling when she saw her sister’s haggard appearance. “Um… are you hungover?”

Alex replied with a grumbled, “I wish,” as she brushed past Kara and stepped inside the apartment.

Dark circles under listless eyes, hair mussed, and in rumpled DEO attire, Alex had clearly been up all night. She trudged over to Kara’s sofa, wincing at the morning light streaming through the windows.

“What’s wrong?”

Alex flopped on the couch as Kara shut the door. “We found something that likely ties the police to Cadmus.”

“Ties them together how?”

“You hear about the bodega killings last night?”

Kara detoured to the coffee pot, figuring Alex could use some caffeine. “Yeah. Supergirl was a little too late for that one,” she said bitterly as she pulled a mug out of the cupboard and poured Alex a cup.

“You can’t be everywhere,” Alex said with compassion.

Bringing the coffee to her sister black, Kara sat beside her on the couch. “So what about the bodega?”

“Scorcher was the killer.”

Kara’s head rocked back as if she’d been struck. Cat had told her to trust her instincts, and she’d been right. “You’re sure?”

“Plain as day on the surveillance video. That’s being held from the press, but Winn picked it up when it went in the system.”

“No wonder,” Kara breathed.

“No wonder what?” Alex blew on her coffee and took a sip.

“When I got there, Maggie was… upset. She got sick at the scene. I was worried about her, but she wanted nothing to do with me, especially with her captain around. In fact, I started digging into him last night. It’s why I forgot to call you about Maggie.”

“Braden?” Alex asked, and Kara nodded. “What was he doing there?”

“Giving Maggie a hard time for starters. Don’t think he’s a fan of mine, either.”

“He’s not.” Alex took another sip then set her mug on the coffee table. “The police lied about Scorcher dying in a holding cell. They’re either complicit or covering their asses. Winn started a deep background check on the NCPD last night. It’s slow going, but he’s already turned up way too many cops with an anti-alien bias. Braden loves the anti-Supergirl blogs especially.”

“Wait. Those are a thing?” Kara said, wounded.

“Some people hate puppies, Kara. Don’t take it personally.” Hanging her head, Alex stared at her hands where they rested in her lap.

“You think Maggie is involved?” Kara asked gently.

“She turned Scorcher in. Insisted on taking her to the NCPD. She knew about Cat. Has a ‘source’ in Cadmus.”

“Oh, Alex…”

Pushing to her feet, Alex moved away, clearly uncomfortable with Kara’s sympathy. “But she’s kept your secret. She knows the location of the DEO. Knows we’re sisters. Why sit on that info if she’s in bed with Cadmus? Unless….”

“Unless what?”

“Unless she’s been playing us the whole time. Gathering intel. Learning our strengths, our weaknesses…”

Kara shook her head, not ready to give up on Maggie so fast. “If Cadmus really has control over a few cops…”

“It’s more than that,” Alex told her. “Winn isn’t through them all yet. Not by a long shot. But we’re looking at roughly eighteen percent of the force.”

“That’s…” Kara struggled to breathe. “That’s nearly fifteen hundred officers.”

Alex ran a hand through her hair. “Not all of them are going to have ties to Cadmus. Some are looking at websites to see what the other side is thinking, or just clicking links and ignoring the content. Some might have that bias but still do their jobs, but others…”

“Want me and my kind gone.” Kara scooped up a pillow, drawing it to her chest. “Oh Rao. I thought we were all on the same team.”

“Now you know why I didn’t sleep last night.” Alex started to pace. “But Braden… I’d put money on him being Cadmus.”

“I’m meeting Cat and James for coffee. We’re starting an investigation of our own.” Kara shot Alex another apologetic look for getting so caught up in the thrill of the investigation that she’d forgotten to keep her in the loop. “But Alex, Maggie _hates_ Braden. Maybe she knows what he’s up to. Maybe she can help.”

“Or maybe she’s in Cadmus’s pocket, and they just don’t get along. Maybe she’d like to be their go-to on the force, but Braden’s in her way.”

“You don’t believe that,” Kara said slowly. “Did Winn look at her?”

“Before we rescued Cat. She comes back clean.”

“Then we can trust her.”

“We can’t trust anybody, Kara. I keep making excuses and looking the other way because she’s helped us, because I…”

“Because you have feelings for her,” Kara filled in softly.

“Because I’m an idiot.” Alex stopped pacing, pinching the bridge of her nose as she swayed in place. “She used that to her advantage, threw me off my game.”

“Alex…” Kara got to her feet, snagging her sister’s hand and pulling her into a hug. “If there could be as many as fifteen hundred cops working for Cadmus? I don’t blame Maggie for not turning him in. Who is she supposed to trust?”

“How about me? How about you? She could have trusted us and she didn’t.”

“So what are you going to do?”

Alex sighed, bone weary and deep. “I’m going to go talk to her.”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

“I need to know if the DEO is compromised. If you’re compromised.” Alex’s hands trembled, not from exhaustion but from anger. “Her knowing your identity is a whole other headache.”

“Want me to go with you? Or you could come with me to meet James and Cat first. You need to eat, and we can strategize. Come up with a gameplan.”

“I need to do this now.”

Kara murmured into Alex’s ear, “No matter what, I’m here for you. Always.”

Alex settled her chin on Kara’s shoulder. “I won’t tell you not to investigate, because you will anyway. Just make sure James and Cat know what they’re wading into.”

“I’ll tell them,” Kara promised as they separated and her sister headed for the door. “And Alex?”

“Yeah?”

“Give Maggie the benefit of the doubt? We don’t know what she’s up against.”

“I’ll try.”

***

Cat glanced at her watch, scowling at being ten minutes late. For more than two years, Kara had waited on her nearly every morning with Cat’s latte and a smile. She’d looked forward to that first glimpse of Kara at the start of her day, craved it like a drug by the time she’d decided to leave CatCo. Her sabbatical hadn’t cured her of that desire, however. It had only made it worse.

And this morning, Cat needed her Kara fix badly.

Reaching Noonan’s, Cat yanked the door open and stepped inside to survey the booths for the woman she couldn’t get off her mind.

When she found her, Kara wasn’t alone. A flash of jealousy, startling in its intensity, ignited in Cat’s chest. Kara and James made a striking pair, their easy smiles for each other warm and familiar. When Cat had shot down giving the story to James, she hadn’t realized Kara would still bring him into the investigation. As they talked, James reached across the table and covered one of Kara’s hands with his own and squeezed. Cat hated the fond way Kara looked at him.

Overcome with doubts and mortified by the possessive tone of her own thoughts, Cat hung back by the door. Her hand reached for the handle, but then Kara glanced her way, and the smile that shaped those beautiful lips was for her alone.

Kara’s blue eyes were soft and full of appreciation as she openly stared, and Cat’s jealousy melted away, incinerated in the heat of Kara’s gaze. Kara never looked at James like _that_.

Ego properly stroked, Cat crossed the restaurant, Kara’s eyes never straying. “Morning.”

Kara stood, her navy sundress hugging her curves and flaunting sculpted arms. It was a pleasant change. Too often Kara’s clothing was akin to throwing a dusty tarp over something chiseled by Michelangelo.

James cleared his throat, reminding both women he was there. “Morning,” he greeted before standing as well. “Your latte should be here any moment. Kara heard you coming.”

“I’m sure it won’t be as hot as I like it.” Cat gave Kara a smug little smirk.

“You’ll survive,” Kara teased. “At least you don’t have to wait for it to come up in the elevator. That buys you a few degrees.”

Both James and Kara scooted over to make room, and Cat opted to settle next to Kara, as if there had ever been any doubt. Their bare legs brushed under the table, and a different kind of heat raced up Cat’s spine.

She reached for her ice water and took a sip. “I assume you brought James up to speed?”

James eyed them curiously. “Um… yeah. Although Kara said she had something new to share when you got here.”

Cat’s eyebrows arched neatly as she turned her focus on Kara.

“I talked to Alex this morning. The DEO is looking at the entire police department.”

“Looking at them for what?”

Kara leaned closer, their arms touching now. “Ties to Cadmus.” She watched Cat carefully for her reaction.

“How many?” Cat demanded, her stomach twisting into knots.

“They just started digging last night. Winn has to…”

“Kara, how many?”

Kara exhaled in a rush. “Fifteen hundred are at least potentially suspect. That’s everyone who raised a red flag for some kind of anti-alien activity.”

Cat’s eyelashes fluttered, but otherwise she remained outwardly composed. Fifteen hundred cops. _Christ._

It was one thing to investigate a corrupt police captain and a few flunkies, but this was something wholly different. Endemic corruption was actually rare, since the corrupt were also generally incompetent, or they remained small enough in number to avoid detection. The thought of infiltration on this scale chilled her to the bone. And at the same time ignited that white hot flame that only a monster story could spark.

“Are we prepared to handle this, Cat?” James asked quietly, echoing her thoughts. His expression had gotten hungry in a way that had nothing to do with Noonan’s sticky buns. “You remember what happened when Lois went after that shady vice squad in Metropolis. It got ugly, and they came after all of us.”

“I remember.” The waitress arrived and set Cat’s latte on the table before disappearing once more. Cat didn’t touch it, so painfully awake now caffeine would be overkill.

“That was only twenty cops,” James continued. “And it still cost Lois three nights in prison, and Clark got his car burnt out.”

“Well not all of these can be working for Cadmus,” Kara mused. “It’s not like that many would be on the payroll.”

“You sure about that?” Cat snapped. “As a reporter, you should never assume. You have no idea of their resources, of their finances. How many people could I pay off if I felt like it? To do something they were inclined to do anyway?” Getting a firm grip on her anxieties, Cat locked them up and focused on the story. What she thought might take them a few weeks of digging, however, would likely take months now. “Can your sister give us names?”

“Maybe you two shouldn’t go any further on this,” Kara said, and Cat bristled. “It’s too dangerous. If you can give me advice I’ll–”

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

“Are you kidding?”

Cat and James exchanged glances as they spoke over one another. Dangerous or not, they were already in.

“This is Cadmus,” Kara reminded them in a harsh whisper. “A few thugs with guns? That’s a job for Supergirl. But potentially hundreds of crooked cops? I can’t protect you when I don’t even know who they are, and neither can the DEO.”

“So start fighting with facts. Build on them one by one until you have the whole picture.” Cat drummed her fingers on the table, considering where to begin. “As much as I’d like to devote the whole investigative unit to this, I suspect we’re safer keeping it among ourselves. Snapper stays out of it. We don’t know for sure they won’t come after him again.”

James nodded decisively. “We need the list of officers; that’ll speed things up a lot. Winn owes me a favor if Kara won’t go through Alex.” Cat approved of the implied threat behind his words, presenting Kara with a fait accompli that they would get the names regardless.

Cat leaned in, directing her comments to James now. This could be the story of their careers, but it was also a way to hit back at Cadmus for all they’d done to her. As frightened as she was by the potential repercussions, it was nothing compared to her excitement at finally getting some revenge. “Kara has strong suspicions about Braden, and he’s exactly the right level to start on. Perhaps Maggie would speak with us off the record, though that might take a little sweet talking on my part.”

“Okay,” Kara spluttered. “Hold on…”

“The train is leaving the station, Kara. Either hop on or get out of the way,” Cat ordered. “And it’s not every day you get to work alongside two journalists with as many awards as Mr. Olsen and I have between us. Take advantage of the opportunity.”

Kara gaped at them. “This isn’t an opportunity! We don’t know what these people are capable of.”

“We’ll take Braden and Maggie,” Cat told James, ignoring Kara as she flapped her arms at them. “You start on the Infernian. We’ll meet back at my penthouse tonight at seven to compare notes.”

“Sounds like a plan. Be safe,” James said as got to his feet. He didn’t comment on her continued refusal to set foot within CatCo. The fake news published under her name hadn’t made her any more inclined to break her self-imposed exile, even if they’d figured out the source.

“I’m the one with the bodyguard, James. You stay safe.”

James looked from Cat to Kara and back again. “Will do.”

Cat watched him go before turning to deal with Kara’s aggravation. Something about the crinkle Kara got between her eyes when she was mad was more adorable than threatening, however. “Yes, Kara?”

“It’s too dangerous.”

“Good thing I’ll have you around to protect me then.”

“Cat,” Kara growled, and the sound gave Cat goosebumps.

“What are you going to do? Toss me back in a cell at the DEO?” Cat taunted.

“I might.” Kara crossed her arms. “Be a nice change from you demanding it.”

“We owe it to the public to get to the truth. We owe it to every alien who might not even know they’re in danger yet.”

“Not at the expense of your life.”

“Every story has a cost,” Cat answered without hesitation. “Am I afraid? Hell yes. James is too, but if we don’t investigate, who will? If we don’t expose the corruption and the faces behind it, how much further will it grow? How much deeper will it take root? How many people like you and Alex will pay for our silence?”

“I love how brave you are,” Kara said quietly. “But Cadmus took you from me once. I couldn’t bear it if they did again.”

They stared at one another, and Cat willed her heartbeat to slow down and stop giving her away. The way Kara had said it, _from me_ , sounded a little too much like longing, and Cat couldn’t allow the idea that her idle fantasies might be shared ones.

“Stay close then,” she answered, but the invitation was clear in her tone.

“You are the most stubborn woman I have ever met,” Kara said, shaking her head.

Cat leaned closer, intrigued further as Kara’s breath caught at her proximity. “And don’t you forget it.”

***

Maggie eyed the photo she’d snapped with her telephoto lens the night before. Thanks to a little luck, headlights, and a full moon, she had a name and a face for Cadmus now. Braden had been sloppy calling Lillian Luthor out so soon after the Scorcher mess began to break. He was starting to panic, and panic would have him tying up loose ends soon. Loose ends like her.

A strange peace with her fate had settled over her in the middle of the night. Maybe she could keep M’gann and her aunt safe while giving the officers who’d betrayed their badges a little of what was coming to them. It was all she dared hope for. When she was done, she’d run, but Maggie knew she wouldn’t get far. If she inconvenienced a Cadmus operative or two, took a few of them with her, that would have to do.

A sudden knock made her flinch. Drawing her firearm from the holster on her hip, Maggie approached the door, swearing under her breath when she spied Alex through the peephole.

“Let me in, Maggie. Don’t make me bust down the door.”

This was the last thing she needed right now. Maggie slid her weapon back in its holster before throwing the deadbolts and yanking the door open. “Danvers. Did we have a breakfast date I forgot about or something?” She didn’t miss Alex’s twitch at the word ‘date’ as she barged her way in, slamming her shoulder into Maggie’s hard enough to bruise. “And a good morning to you too.”

Maggie shut and locked the door, turning to find Alex standing in the middle of her living room, hands on her hips. They glared at each other for a tense moment. “Scorcher.”

“What about her?” Maggie tossed back, her mind racing. She just needed a few more hours to finish up nine months of work, and from the look on Alex’s face, she wasn’t going to get them, not unless she could throw her off the scent.

“She’s alive. Frying civilians in convenience store robberies. But you already know that, don’t you?”

“Danvers…”

Alex crowded her, close enough that Maggie could feel her heat. “Enough. No more veiled hints. No more vague warnings. What the hell is going on at the NCPD?”

“Stay out of it,” Maggie told her bluntly. “The police are investigating.”

“So I’m supposed to look the other way while your superiors cover up… what?” Alex threw up her hands as she stepped back, giving Maggie a little breathing room. “An escape? An intentional release? And who the hell did they burn alive in custody to make it look good?”

“I told you, we’re investigating. Us. The cops, not you and your DEO cronies.”

“Why should I trust the cops?”

“ _I’m_ handling it.”

“Why should I trust _you_? Who are you really working for?”

“Fuck you, Danvers.”

“That’s not an answer, Maggie. What I want to know is, are you working for Cadmus by choice, or do they have some kind of gun to your head?”

“You…” Maggie started to deflect when Alex grabbed her by the shoulders and jerked her closer.

“I can help you,” Alex pleaded, ducking her head so they were nearly eye-to-eye. “Whatever you’re mixed up in, I can get you out, but you have to trust me.”

“You can’t!” Maggie fired back, but she didn’t have much left in her to hold back the dam that was breaking. “There’s nothing you can do except stay out of it.”

Alex’s chin hitched higher. “Is that a threat?”

“It’s advice. You run into this blind, start banging on doors and getting in cop’s faces? It will end badly for you. For Kara. For your mom, your dad…”

“ _Cadmus_ has my dad!” Alex shouted at her, and Maggie’s eyes went wide. “They’ve had him for over a decade! And now I find out the woman I…” Alex bit off the words and jerked away. “This is _personal_ for me, Maggie.” She spun back around. “If Cadmus have a presence in the police department, I need to know.”

“I didn’t…” Maggie lapsed into shocked silence, so many things about Alex beginning to make sense. Nine months in Cadmus’s clutches had felt like an eternity. She couldn’t imagine what kind of hell Alex’s father had to be in. She didn’t dare say out loud how likely it was he’d be entirely under their spell by now.

“Are you one of them?” Alex demanded.

Maggie scrubbed her hands through her hair and moved past Alex. Taking a steadying breath, she scooped up the memory card and the photos she’d taken the night before off the kitchen counter. Luthor was only the tip of the iceberg, but maybe it would distract Alex long enough so she could do what needed to be done. With a weary sigh, she handed them over, praying Alex wouldn’t get herself killed chasing the lead.

“My captain freaked when he found out Scorcher was back on the street, so I followed him. Took pictures. I had a sliver of intel the head of Cadmus was a woman, and I’m guessing that’s her.”

Alex looked down at the photos, her jaw clenched tightly.

“You know who she is?” Maggie asked.

“Lillian Luthor.”

“Guess your sister knows a thing or two about that family.”

Alex’s eyes were full of pain and suspicion when they met Maggie’s again. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It’s suddenly a secret that Luthors and people with an S on their chests don’t get on?”

“There’s more you’re not telling me.”

“You have all I can give you right now.” Maggie wrapped the tatters of her bravado around herself and stared Alex down.

“Maggie…”

“Everything else I have will be in your hands by the end of the day. I just need a little time to pull it all together.”

“Why won’t you let me help you?”

“There’s nothing you can do.” Maggie heard the note of finality in her voice, and she knew Alex did as well. If things went the way she hoped, Maggie would be able to protect everyone, including the woman standing in front of her. The thought gave her a small measure of comfort, and she hoped it would carry her through the day.

Alex tightened her grip on the photos. “I expect to see you at the DEO by sundown. If you’re not there, I’m coming to find you.”

“End of the day,” Maggie agreed, hating to lie to Alex in their last seconds together.

Alex studied her a moment longer, clearly sensing everything Maggie wasn’t saying, but trusting her just enough one last time. That trust meant everything, but it twisted at the guilt in Maggie’s gut like a knife. “End of the day,” Alex repeated.

Maggie nodded.

Reluctantly, Alex left, and Maggie stifled a sob as the door closed behind her.

***

Lillian studied the wall of weapons, her fingers sliding down the barrel of a modified shotgun, a box of kryptonite-laced shells sitting underneath. It would do in a pinch, but there was something so detached about shooting someone with a firearm. Killing Supergirl deserved a more… personal touch. Something to show aliens and humans alike that no one was truly invulnerable, not to Cadmus.

It was disappointing in a way. Supergirl was supposed to live to see her friends, her family, and all the fools who worshipped her recognize her for the threat she was. To see their love turn to hate. Once that haughty spirit was broken, Cadmus would have had their fun. There would have been nothing “super” left about Kara Danvers.

Pity that opportunity would be lost.

She was giving Detective Sawyer a fair amount of credit for being able to pull it off, but Sawyer had captured some of the worst aliens in National City and lived to tell the tale. She would have made an excellent Cadmus operative if it weren’t for that pathetic bleeding heart of hers. Nothing a little Mercy couldn’t have eliminated, of course, but there simply wasn’t time for that now. They needed Kara Danvers out of the picture and fast, and if Sawyer failed, Lillian would have plenty of agents ready to swoop in and finish the job. Supergirl would perish, one way or another.

“Hmm,” Lillian murmured, pulling a small, intimate weapon off the wall. Gripping the hilt, she drew the blade out of the sheath, exposing the glowing green knife inside. It was only a couple of inches long. Sawyer would have to get nice and close to plunge it into Kara Danvers’ heart.

***

M’gann sensed Maggie coming long before she stepped into the empty bar. She’d been expecting this moment for months, but Maggie had defied the odds for so long, M’gann had almost believed she could beat them.

“Hey,” Maggie greeted quietly. “I’d tell you what’s up, but the look on your face says you already know.”

Leaving the rag she’d been using to clean the tables behind, M’gann drew closer, sliding her hands into the back pockets of her jeans. “I can use the network to shelter you.”

Maggie shook her head. “No. Too many aliens need that network. I won’t risk compromising it, or you.”

“What good is it if I can’t save the people I care about?”

Maggie’s features softened. “Help the living, okay? Keep doing what you’re doing.”

“Why do you have to be such a stubborn ass?”

“It’s one of the things you love about me.” Maggie smiled grimly as tears gathered in her eyes. “I do have one last favor to ask.”

M’gann nodded, willing to do anything for this human.

Maggie handed her two jump drives. “One is a copy for you. If the DEO doesn’t do the right thing, at least you can spread the word. Tell everyone who to watch out for. The other…” She took a deep, shaky breath and swallowed hard. “Give the other to Alex. I don’t know if it’ll make much of a difference, but it’s all there. Every shred of evidence I have against Cadmus and the cops on their payroll or under their influence.”

“Why won’t you take this to her yourself? You can trust her.”

“You been getting in her head?”

“Not like she’s been getting in yours.”

Maggie huffed out a guilty laugh, not even bothering to deny it. “Tell her I’m sorry? I really… uh…” Her chin began to quiver as she fought back tears. “If things had been different…” She shook her head. “And tell her, I hope this helps her find her dad.”

“You’re an idiot,” M’gann said, her heart breaking.

“Wow. I can tell you’re going to miss me.” Maggie’s tone was droll, but the corners of her mouth twitched up into the ghost of a smile. She handed over a piece of paper to complete her drop. “My aunt’s address and number are on there. If… if you or Alex could…”

“Of course.” Tears of her own welled up in M’gann’s eyes. She’d been so careful not to form attachments, but somewhere along the way she’d made a friend, and a dear one. “Maggie…”

Without another word, Maggie stepped forward and pulled M’gann into a rough hug, squeezing her as hard as her human arms would allow. “Thank you,” she whispered.

And then she was gone before M’gann could say a word, spinning on her boot heel and fleeing the way she’d come.

***

Steps leaden and slow, Maggie traversed the last remaining blocks to her bike. Now there was nothing left to do but put one foot in front of the other.

She climbed the stairs of the crumbling parking garage before stepping out on the third floor. The echo of her footsteps had company, and Maggie glanced back to see two men in dark trench coats ascending the stairs. Cadmus weren’t wasting any time.

As she increased her pace, a steady calm washed over her, even when she saw the black Mercedes glide around the corner and approach. The ambush was so damn cliché. Maggie had expected something more original.

Reaching her bike, she didn’t bother trying to get away. She simply waited as the car slid to a halt. The two men grabbed her, each gripping an arm with bruising force.

The driver of the Mercedes came around, opening the rear passenger door. Maggie scoffed bitterly as Lillian Luthor unfurled from the back seat, stepping out with elegant grace.

“Detective Sawyer. We meet at last.”

The two thugs gripped Maggie tighter, their fingers digging uncomfortably into her skin. “Didn’t think you Luthors were the kind to get your hands dirty. Guess I misjudged you.”

Lillian arched a single eyebrow as she sauntered closer. “You know who I am?”

“Can’t work in law enforcement and not know the name Luthor.”

“Hmm. Well I know all about you as well, Detective. The aunt who took you in. The vermin you hang out with in that so-called bar.” Lillian reached out, toying with the collar on Maggie’s leather jacket. “Don’t have much, do you?”

“Go to hell,” Maggie spat. Bad enough she was about to die. She didn’t need to be insulted, too.

“If you have one flaw it’s that you don’t choose your company wisely,” Lillian told her. “You fell in love with a girl in high school who outed you to your family. Consorting with aliens got you on Braden’s radar. And now? Knowing Supergirl is likely going to get you killed.”

Maggie went still, her stomach dropping at the mention of Kara.

“I like you, Detective. You’ve done good work. Delivered some excellent specimens.” Lillian brushed a lock of hair from Maggie’s features, and Maggie jerked away to avoid her touch. “You’re intelligent. Resourceful. But I’m afraid this business with Scorcher has thrown a wrench into our partnership.”

“You going to get on with it, or are you just planning to talk me to death?”

Lillian smiled thinly. “It’s because I like you that I’m going to offer you a deal.”

Maggie rolled her eyes. “I’ve had enough deals with the devil, thanks.”

“You do what I want? You live. Your aunt lives. Consider it a thank you for services rendered.”

Maggie snorted with derision, and a bitter smile came to her lips. “Quit playing games and get it over with.”

“I’m not playing, Detective. I’ll still expect you to be in Cadmus’s employ, but you’ll no longer be a cop, no longer be under Braden’s thumb. You’ll work for me. I’m sure we can find something… agreeable for you to do. You’re too good an asset to waste.”

The lifeline dangled before her, promising Maggie a twisted kind of salvation. “And the aliens at the bar?” she asked, already suspecting the answer.

“Human lives first, Maggie. Yours. Your aunt’s. After tonight, those creatures won’t be your problem anymore. Assuming you survive your assignment, of course.”

“And what the hell do you think I’m gonna do for you?” Maggie was almost afraid she’d be tempted to comply.

“You’re going to kill a reporter for me. I believe you know her. Her name is Kara Danvers.”

***

Feet bare and tucked under where she sat on the couch, Cat was a portrait in concentration. Kara watched her, distracted by the way the sunlight caught in Cat’s hair and dappled over her fair skin. She was so damn beautiful, and seeing her in her element only made her more so.

“Do you miss it?”

“Miss what?” Cat mumbled, putting her pen between her teeth as she turned the page of the document in her hands, one of hundreds they still had to wade through. Kara had offered to do it with a little superspeed, but Cat insisted on reading them all herself.

“Being a reporter.” Kara had suspected since they spent the day tracking down Lar-On, but she’d been wary of prying into Cat’s feelings then.

Cat glanced up, plucking the pen out of her mouth. “I don’t miss _this_ ,” she admitted, waving the pen at the work still waiting for them. “The tedious hours spent pouring over records and reports, but…”

“But?” Kara gently encouraged.

“But I miss putting the pieces of a story together. I miss the hunt, I suppose. The thrill of uncovering the truth and making it known.” Cat narrowed her eyes. “Why?”

Kara shook her head a little. “You’re so good at it. Makes me wonder why you wanted to do all the other things. The talk show, building a company like CatCo.”

Cat rolled her eyes at the flattery, but she preened a little as well. “I had things to prove. To myself, to my mother, and to every man who thought a woman couldn’t do those jobs.”

“Well, you certainly showed them.”

“Mmm. But doing this job was probably the happiest I’ve ever been. Those handful of years after I’d moved on from the gossip column to chasing real stories. When I was trying to be the one-woman source of all news. There’s something very… satisfying about holding people accountable who think it’s acceptable to harm others, whether that be physically, financially, or otherwise.” Cat’s hazel eyes sparkled. “You’ll see.”

“Maybe it’s not new waters you should have been diving into,” Kara said hesitantly. “Maybe it was old ones you climbed out of too quickly.”

Cat blinked at her, eyes magnified by her reading glasses.

Kara’s phone chimed, and she answered it quickly, her stomach tightening with nerves when she saw the name of the caller. “Hey, how’d it go with Maggie?”

“I need you to meet me at the DEO. Now.” Alex’s tone was short and clipped.

“Oh no.” Kara sat up straighter. “Is she working for Cadmus?”

“I don’t know about Maggie, but Lillian Luthor is.”

Kara’s breath lodged in her throat and her gaze flickered towards Cat. “But Winn could never really prove anything. Some things looked fishy, sure, but she’s a Luthor–”

“Maggie has proof, Kara. Get Cat and meet me at the DEO.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For these brilliant editors, much thanks:  
> catherinegrant ([ao3](http://archiveofourown.org/users/catherinegrant) | [tumblr](http://catherinegrant.tumblr.com/ask)),@spaceshipsarecool ([ao3](http://archiveofourown.org/users/spaceshipsarecool) | [tumblr](http://spaceshipsarecool.tumblr.com/ask)), @Revolos55 ([ao3](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Revolos55/pseuds/Revolos55) | [tumblr](http://saunteringvaguelydownwards.tumblr.com/ask)), and @musetotheworld ([ao3](http://archiveofourown.org/users/musetotheworld) | [tumblr](http://musetotheworld.tumblr.com/ask))


	5. Act III

A double whammy of OH HELL from @pinkrabbitpro, get effusive in the comments here or hit the [Tumblr ask](http://pinkrabbitpro.tumblr.com/ask). 


	6. Act III

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kara and Cat face some ugly truths about Lillian. Lucy Lane comes under suspicion. Maggie chooses her fate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> @xy0009 is at it again with the loveliness: ([ao3](http://archiveofourown.org/users/xy0009) | [tumblr](http://xy0009.tumblr.com))

Cat launched out of the DEO elevator so quickly Kara almost thought she’d developed superspeed. Reaching the command table, Cat slammed her black Fendi handbag onto the surface with a bang that had Alex going for her sidearm. Kara grabbed her sister’s wrist, keeping the weapon from clearing Alex’s thigh holster.

“She’s freaked out and really mad, and if you point a gun at her right now, I’d be worried for _your_ safety,” Kara warned her quickly and quietly.

“What. The. Hell?” Cat’s voice boomed impressively off the concrete and glass. “I told you it was Lillian, and every one of you convinced me I was wrong, that I was out of my damn mind. It was the one thing I was sure about when I woke up after my visit to Cadmus’s little torture spa.”

Beneath Kara’s grip, tension coiled in Alex’s muscles, and Kara belatedly realized Cat wasn’t the only one ready to hit something at this latest development. “Alex…”

“We had _every_ reason to find your memories suspect,” Alex spat out in return. “You were drugged. Experimented on. And we could never find definitive evidence to put Lillian in National City while your mind was being fuc–”

“O–kay!” Kara said, before Alex made matters worse. “We’re all upset, but we’re on the same team here. Lillian is who we should focus our anger on, right?”

Alex scowled and turned away from Cat, tossing a potent glare at Kara for good measure. “Winn.”

Seeming relieved that everyone had stopped yelling, Winn tapped a few keys to spread photos of Lillian and Braden across the monitors.

Both of them looked worried, which gave Kara a flicker of dark satisfaction. While she’d found Lena to be an exception to the rule, the Luthors were not known for being kind to people Kara cared about. If Lillian was behind Jeremiah’s imprisonment and Cat’s kidnapping, on top of all the history with Lex and Kal, there wouldn’t be anywhere left on Earth for her to hide.

“According to Lillian’s digital footprint, she was in Metropolis last night. Detective Sawyer’s dated memory card suggests otherwise,” Winn informed them.

“Those dates can be faked. Give me ten minutes and a YouTube tutorial, and I could alter them myself.” Cat settled her hands on her hips, some of her ire banking as they got down to business. She looked just as at home and in charge at the DEO as she did in her office at CatCo. If she took over from J’onn for a few days, Alex and Vasquez could be taking down perps in Prada.

“That’s Coronado Beach,” Alex chimed in. “I’ve surfed there plenty of times. Can you use the timestamp on the photos to–”

“Already on it,” Winn announced, typing away. “It’s legit.” He pushed video of Lillian’s Mercedes to all the monitors, showing the car turning into the parking lot from a restaurant’s surveillance camera across the street.

“So Maggie followed Braden? What does that mean?” Kara asked.

“I don’t know. Maggie asked for a day, but if she’s not in here with all the info she has on Braden in a few hours, I’m dragging her in myself.” Alex slid her hands into her pockets. “I’m going to work with Winn, see what holes we can blow in Lillian’s other alibis. J’onn is on the phone trying to round up some law enforcement he trusts, but he’ll want to get in Cat’s head again now that we know what she saw might be real.”

Kara looked to Cat, who couldn’t keep entirely still, despite having gone eerily quiet. There was too much nervous energy coursing through her, and Kara knew the silent tells that gave away her mental state better than anyone. The particular frown that said another outburst was brewing. The rolling of her wrists as she gathered her thoughts, alternated with flexing fingers that suggested she wanted to inflict pain, verbally most of the time. Kara wanted nothing more that to scoop Cat into a reassuring hug and soothe every last one of those tics, but it hardly seemed the time or place.

“Talk to her,” Alex told her, nudging Kara halfheartedly with her elbow.

“Don’t you need my help?” Kara protested, conscious that yet again she’d be stepping out on Alex to tend to Cat. “I mean, if there’s new intel on Cadmus…”

“Nothing is going to change in the next twenty minutes. Go on, take Cat and give her some privacy. Let her work through it.”

Kara nodded gratefully, guiding Cat by the elbow towards an empty office on the far side of the floor.

***

“You okay?” At least Kara had the sense to bring coffee with her well-intentioned pestering. They’d been in this dull room for at least five minutes before she’d thought to go and scrounge up some drinks.

“Fine,” Cat snapped, half-regretting it as soon as Kara’s face fell. “If you’re here to rend your garments over telling me about Lillian’s wedding, you can save it.”

“But–”

“You’ve also spent these past few weeks trusting me and believing me all the same. That counts for more than I’ve probably told you, Kara. My reaction in there wasn’t about you.”

“What was it about? Here, sit.” Kara took one side of the sofa and patted the other cushion for Cat to join her. “I thought it would be a good thing? To know you were right?”

“I thought so too,” Cat answered as she settled beside her. “But not even big pharma can make responses to something like this predictable.”

“I know, I picked up the prescriptions.” Kara took a sip of her tea, nudging Cat towards her coffee. “I raided Alex’s stash and spiked it for you. Seemed like it might be one of those days.”

“And they say Kryptonians aren’t psychic.”

Kara sighed. “We should have dug deeper. Looked at Lillian harder. We bought into the lie too easily.”

“So did I,” Cat confessed. “Easier to believe I scared her up as the boogeyman than face the fact she could actually hate me that much.” She grew quiet.

“Cat?” Kara pressed when the silence dragged on. “If it’s none of my business, then–”

“It’s not just that she wanted to be Adam’s stepmother; I could have lived with that eventually.” Cat closed her eyes to avoid Kara’s concern. “It’s how I handled it. My fondness for scorched earth hasn’t exactly faded over the years, once I consider someone my enemy…”

“So you did something to her? To them?”

“I raked up some old Luthor scandals.” Kara went silent in that faintly damning way of hers. “I’m not proud of it. Maybe I was at the time. I just saw her snatching away any slim future I had with my son – this was before Carter, you understand. I thought it might be my only shot at motherhood.”

“She would never have replaced you. It doesn’t work like that, trust me.”

“It’s different, Kara. Giving up a child when you have a choice. No matter how you try and find some solace in it, what your parents did was far more noble. They didn’t deserve to be replaced. I’m not sure I can say the same about myself.” Cat gathered herself a little. Stick to the story, keep emotion out of it. “They stayed in touch. She wrote his recommendation for Cornell, he summered with Lex and Lena a few times on the Cape. I just sent him checks and was grateful for all the extra time to work.”

Kara paused for a moment, toying at her bottom lip with her teeth. “I think what matters is that he turned out okay, however he got there. Adam grew up to be a fine young man. He’s loved and he’s going to be successful at whatever he turns his hand to.”

“A _fine young man_?” Cat scoffed, just a little. “You really are an Austen heroine, aren’t you?” She dropped the subject, not willing to rehash the fallout from that failed dating attempt. She didn’t need another level of complication in her burgeoning feelings for Kara. “Anyway…”

“How bad did it get, with Lillian? I’m not victim blaming you, I swear. It just seems _really_ personal.”

“I may have convinced my ex to see sense about marrying her,” Cat admitted. “And the Luthor dirty laundry I aired in public was… incendiary. I devoted all my resources to dragging their name through the mud. Some say that’s when little Lex began his obsession with how the media portrayed him. I think they give me too much credit.”

“Oh.” Kara pressed her knees a little closer together, folding her hands on her lap. “Well, you were threatened. You were defending your son.” The reality of Cat’s vindictive streak settled between them, and Cat couldn’t find kinder words to will it away.

“God, I wish we’d just stayed in Midvale,” she groaned. “It was the first time in… I can’t even tell you how long, that I’ve felt rested, like the world could wait a damn minute.”

“Really?” Kara brightened. “Me too. I never get to go home, which is ridiculous when you consider it’s a few minutes’ flight for me. But there’s something about the light there, about all that fresh air. Makes you think we might just be imagining all this hatred and violence.”

“Mmm.”

Cat moved closer, just an inch or so, to see if Kara would recoil. Instead she leaned in, that effortless magnetism between them activating again.

“You know,” Cat said, lowering her voice, the room taking on the air of the confessional. “I’ve never run from a fight. Adam, you could argue I walked away, but since then I’ve stood my ground and fought every last battle. I don’t know if the stakes have ever been higher than they are now, but there are moments…”

“When you feel like maybe someone else could take this one?” Kara reached for Cat’s hand, squeezing gently. “No one would blame you. You’ve already been through so much. And sometimes I hear that beep in my earpiece and think _what now_? I’m not proud of it, but we all have our limits. _”_

“This can’t be one,” Cat decided. “No matter how tired I get, or how scared, I need to face this. Lillian Luthor tried to make me a weapon. Let’s see how she likes it when I’m turned against her.”

***

“I know it’s you, J’onn J’onzz,” M’gann murmured when he didn’t speak right away.

J’onn shifted in his desk chair, switching his phone to his other ear as he willed his frustration to cool a notch. “I’m sorry to bother you, but I’m afraid I could use your help.”

“It’s not a good time,” M’gann sighed on the other end of the line. “I lost a friend today.”

J’onn hesitated, cursing his timing. “I’m sorry.”

“So am I. Maybe if you and your colleagues would shut Cadmus down for good, this wouldn’t feel like practically a weekly occurrence.”

“If you truly feel that way, then you should comply with my request.” He stood, wandering to the small set of windows on the far side of his office. The sun was beginning to set over National City, but the beauty of the sky was lost on him tonight.

“And what request is that?”

“I understand you know Cat Grant?”

M’gann grew quiet. “Yes,” she said finally.

“You know she was taken by Cadmus?”

“That’s the rumor.”

“We think we know who was behind her abduction now, but I’ve been in her head when things were… less clear. I’m concerned those shared memories might influence her now.”

“You want me to read her mind.”

“We’d link so I could observe. You have my word I’d only explore Cat’s memories.”

“I don’t think so.” Her answer was firm, but her tone lost a little of its edge.

“M’gann…”

“I’m sympathetic, J’onn, but I told you. I don’t want a relationship. I just want to live out the rest of my days forgetting what happened on Mars. I’m sure you’ll do your best to remain objective.”

J’onn rubbed his forehead, baffled by her deflection at every turn. This was not how their kind were supposed to live. “Why do you punish yourself like this?”

“That’s none of your concern. I wish you and Cat the best of luck.” He thought she’d disconnected until he heard faint music in the background.

“Something else you want to say?”

M’gann signed. “There’s a woman. Sophia Gallo. Lives in Blue Springs, Nebraska.”

“What about her?”

“You need to get her in protective custody immediately, and send Alex to the bar.”

“Why?”

“Maggie left something for her. For the DEO.”

“Left something? Did Detective Sawyer go somewhere?”

“That’s the friend I lost,” was all M’gann gave him. “Save her aunt if you can.”

This time she hung up.

***

“Crap.”

Alex’s head snapped up, Winn’s voice jarring her out of her troubled musings about Maggie and Lillian. “What? Did you find something?”

“Um… no. Not yet. I just had a really freaky, way unsettling thought, though.”

“Care to share?”

“There’s something else we need to consider about Lillian and Cadmus. Especially if she really did experiment on Ms. Grant.”

Alex put her hands on her hips, waiting for him to explain.

“She was supposed to be on her honeymoon,” Winn reminded her.

“The wedding was real, but Lillian faked the travel,” Alex said with a shrug, figuring that was a given.

“Sure,” Winn agreed. “But wouldn’t that mean her new husband was in on it too?”

The truth nailed Alex like a sucker punch to the head. They’d been so focused on Lillian they’d missed the obvious. “Lane.”

“And if General Lane is Cadmus,” Winn said reluctantly, “then what about Lucy? She did show up like the _minute_ we brought J’onn and Cat back. She was sending people there before we knew what it was.”

J’onn came striding into the command center. He gave her a tight nod from across the room, and Alex’s stomach plummeted. “Keep working,” she ordered Winn. “And the program you’re running on the NCPD? Run it on Lucy Lane.”

Alex joined J’onn to huddle off to the side, away from curious ears. “What now?” she asked. “Winn just reminded me Lillian’s new husband is the father of a key person in the DEO. I’m not sure I can take–”

“Have you heard from Detective Sawyer?”

The question threw her. “No.” She glanced at the clock on the wall. “Her time is nearly up. I’ll find her.”

“Start with the bar. She apparently left something for you there along with instructions to protect her aunt. M’gann thinks something may have happened to her.”

“Happened?” Kara’s voice was sharp as she joined them. “Like what?”

J’onn’s eyes slid to Alex, the sympathy in them threatening her composure.

“I have to go. I have to find Maggie…” Alex took a half step back toward the elevator.

“We’ll handle the aunt,” J’onn promised. “I’ll get a local team to protect her.”

“I’ll go with you.” Kara caught Alex’s hand, and J’onn nodded his approval. “We’ll find her.”

***

Lillian had been expecting more of a fight. The zip tie at Maggie’s wrists limited her options, but it hadn’t completely ruled her out. Her confiscated service weapon sat on Lillian’s lap, just far enough away Maggie couldn’t reach it. A pointless reminder of Lillian’s power, but it got the job done.

Maggie shot her a lethal glare. “I understand not wanting to tackle Scorcher and company by yourself. Some of the aliens I’ve dropped off for you have been straight out of nightmares, but a reporter with a ponytail? Even you could handle that.”

“These things are best left to the help.”

“Did I say ‘fuck you’ already? Because seriously, lady, fuck you.”

As cheap shots went, Lillian had heard far worse. At times like these she missed Hank. His methods were messy but efficient. That he hadn’t returned from his DEO infiltration was another headache she’d been trying to ignore.

“Why not just lay in wait outside her building with a rifle and scope?” Maggie persisted as they turned towards the den of miscreants she’d been protecting. Lillian couldn’t wait to scrub it off the map. “Or at CatCo? Hell, give me my gun, and I can do it from thirty yards. You can keep your butter knife.”

“You’re fishing, Detective.” This one would sting, would put the fear of Cadmus bone deep in every alien skulking around the city. If it set the hotheaded Alex Danvers off too? So much the better. Jeremiah would be easier to control with one daughter dead and the other in Lillian’s clutches. Someone like Alex could really take them to the next level.

“I don’t need to be sent into a trap, that’s all.”

“That _butter knife_ will get the job done, better than this,” Lillian said, nodding towards the gun on her lap. “Your friend Kara is is more than meets the eye. She’s rather… super, in fact. Don’t deviate from the script and maybe you’ll survive.”

“You’re saying–”

Lillian sighed. “Yes, she’s Supergirl. Do I need to waste my breath telling you about the boys I brought along as insurance? To make sure you do exactly as ordered?” Maggie looked away, her jaw clenching, and Lillian eyed her curiously. She didn’t look afraid so much as angry, and Lillian realized she’d known the truth all along. Pity she’d have to waste such a clever operative.

“You sending me in there with my hands tied? Or are we pretending this is a fair fight?”

“Advantage is all yours if she doesn’t see it coming,” Lillian reminded her. For a moment, she imagined Lena beside her, doing her mother’s bidding out of love and loyalty, instead of another resisting idiot who’d gotten in over their head. Perhaps that misplaced moment of maternal longing prompted her last-minute advice. “Don’t bother going for the heart, the neck’s a safer bet.”

“That green stuff means she won’t fight back?”

Lillian murmured an acknowledgment. Pulling a switchblade from her pocket, she cut the restraints as the car slid to a stop. To her credit, Maggie twitched towards the gun and Lillian tutted.

“You touch that, and you’re signing your aunt’s death warrant. Don’t waste the bullet, Detective.”

“She already in there?” Maggie closed her eyes for a long moment. Her lack of questions about an escape route suggested she had seen through the false promises at least. It was always messier when they begged. Maggie knew she wasn’t walking back out of there. Alex Danvers would never allow it for someone who hurt her so-called sister.

“We haven’t got all night.”

***

Pausing in the trash-strewn alley, Maggie took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. Two Cadmus operatives were hanging out by the street lamp, pretending to smoke, but she knew there were more. The sheath of the knife rubbed against her stomach as she exhaled and pushed the door open.

Music wafted up to her as she descended the steps, some cheery country song scraping along her raw nerves. M’gann was the first to notice her, the relief in her eyes quickly giving way to concern. Maggie sauntered closer, taking in the bar’s patrons with a wary eye as Alex straightened and turned, a fleeting, relieved smile crossing her lips. Only Kara looked truly happy to see her, her grin wide as she bounced down from the bar stool.

“You’re late,” Alex accused as Maggie came closer.

“I was detained.” Maggie leaned against the bar, flicking her gaze over the aliens nearby before giving M’gann a meaningful look.

M’gann crowded in so only Maggie, Alex, and Kara could hear, setting a glass of scotch in front of Maggie as she did so. “Your aunt is in DEO custody. Everyone here is safe.”

Maggie nodded with relief. She took a sip of her drink to fortify her courage as Alex fidgeted at her side.

“Where were you?” Alex asked. “You were supposed to….”

In one swift move, Maggie drew the knife from her waistband and slammed it down on the bar. Kara recoiled from the weapon while Alex surged forward to pin Maggie’s hand. “What the hell?”

Maggie faced her anger head-on. “Luthor sent me in alone, but there’s more outside waiting to come in if I fail.” Alex sucked in a breath, the confusion and hurt on her face cutting through Maggie’s gut. “Cadmus have the bar surrounded. Call your strike team and protect your sister.”

“Maggie…”

“Luthor knows Kara is Supergirl. Wants her eliminated because she knows about Scorcher and can expose their operations in the NCPD.” Maggie tilted her head, taking Alex in one last time. “They thought I’d turn on you. Kill Kara to save my own skin. They can go to hell.” She released the knife as Alex pulled her phone out, already relaying orders to Winn. She gave Kara an apologetic look, hoping it would convey what she didn’t have time to say, and nodded at M’gann. “Keep them safe. I can’t anymore.”

Ripping her hand out of Alex’s, Maggie pivoted and headed for the door.

The two operatives from the alleyway were already on their way in, but Maggie got the drop on them, stomp-kicking one guy’s knee and smashing her fist across the other’s face. Reversing her swing, she cold-cocked the first agent, rendering them both unconscious. Leaving them on the stairs for Alex to clean up, Maggie stepped out into the alley.

She was nearly to the street when a hand caught her jacket and yanked her backwards. Catching a whiff of Alex’s shampoo, Maggie realized she was still trying to save her. With a sudden shift to the side to pull Alex off-balance, Maggie threw a sharp elbow over her shoulder, feeling the impact all the way down her arm.

Alex’s grip loosened and slipped, and Maggie thought she might get free, before Alex caught her arm and twisted it behind Maggie’s back. She grunted as Alex shoved her face-first against a brick wall.

“Goddamnit, Sawyer.” Alex used her height and training to pin Maggie to the wall and zip tie her hands. She spun her around roughly and slammed her back against the bricks, driving the air from Maggie’s lungs.

“Let me go, Danvers. I can slow them down. Take… take a few of them with me. Give your team time to get here.”

Alex twisted her hand in Maggie’s shirt, jerking her forward before pushing her against the wall again. “You expect me to believe that?”

“Alex, don’t.” Kara jogged up next to them, her eyes darting around the surrounding buildings.

“Shut up, Kara. That knife was made of kryptonite. It would have killed you.”

“Maggie had no intention of using that knife. You know that.”

“I don’t know anything,” Alex seethed. “What did Luthor promise you? Money? Freedom? What’s the going price for my sister’s life?”

“Alex,” Kara growled in warning.

“Get Kara out of here, Danvers. You think knives are the only kryptonite weapons they have?” Maggie jutted her chin out defiantly. “If she dies here, who are you going to blame then?”

Alex’s fist was the last thing Maggie saw before the lights went out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For these brilliant editors, much thanks:  
> catherinegrant ([ao3](http://archiveofourown.org/users/catherinegrant) | [tumblr](http://catherinegrant.tumblr.com/ask)),@spaceshipsarecool ([ao3](http://archiveofourown.org/users/spaceshipsarecool) | [tumblr](http://spaceshipsarecool.tumblr.com/ask)), @Revolos55 ([ao3](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Revolos55/pseuds/Revolos55) | [tumblr](http://saunteringvaguelydownwards.tumblr.com/ask)), and @musetotheworld ([ao3](http://archiveofourown.org/users/musetotheworld) | [tumblr](http://musetotheworld.tumblr.com/ask))


	7. Act IV

Is there a more generous gesture from a journalist than a shared byline? @supergaysupercat gets all that Cat Grant romance on the page. Love on it here or try the [Tumblr ask](http://supergaysupercat.tumblr.com/ask). 


	8. Act IV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maggie tells her story at last, and Alex is shaken by what she hears. Cat has an offer for Kara she can’t refuse. And when J’onn gets in Maggie’s head, her source in Cadmus is revealed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> @xy0009 is at it again with the loveliness: ([ao3](http://archiveofourown.org/users/xy0009) | [tumblr](http://xy0009.tumblr.com))

“You okay?” Kara asked softly.

Alex threw her gear into her locker, not bothering to stow it properly before she slammed the door with enough force to make Kara wince.

“Alex…”

Her sister lashed out, punching the locker and leaving a fist-sized impression in the metal. Kara gripped Alex’s bicep before she could do it again. Her hand was already swelling from the vicious hook she’d used to knock Maggie out, along with the spreading bruise around Alex’s right eye where Maggie had elbowed her.

“You practically just got your hand out of the brace, you dummy,” Kara said, dragging her over to the sink and thrusting her bleeding knuckles under a cold stream of water. Alex hissed and flinched, trying to jerk free, but Kara wasn’t having it. At least this was something she could fix.

They stood there, the running water the only sound between them for a few tense minutes. Kara was the most powerful woman on the planet, but her powers were useless in the face of Alex’s pain.

“We should hear her out.” Shutting off the water, Kara reached for a handful of paper towels.

“What’s the point?” Alex grabbed the towels and irritably wiped her hands. “Our intel on Lillian is suspect again. We’re right back where we started.”

“No, we’re not.” Kara gripped Alex’s shoulders. “Look, you have every right to be upset, but I also know we don’t have the whole story.”

“She was going to kill you, Kara.”

“I don’t believe that and neither do you.”

“She could have done it. Do you get that? One upward thrust with that blade and…” Alex swallowed, the true horror of what had nearly happened rushing up and over her. Kara let her go as Alex stumbled away, lurching into one of the stalls and getting violently ill.

The toilet flushed and Alex staggered out of the stall and back to the sinks, rinsing her mouth out and splashing water on her face.

“This isn’t your fault.”

Alex gripped the sides of the sink, water dripping from her chin. “I let her in. Let her get close to me… to _you_.” She shuddered. “I should have had J’onn mind wipe her when she figured out who you were.”

Kara drifted closer, running her hand down Alex’s back in wordless comfort. “She came to warn us, and she expected to die for it, Alex. We need to hear all sides of the story.”

“This isn’t some goddamn assignment for your magazine.”

“But it should be,” a voice called out from behind them.

Kara twitched, so wrapped up in her sister’s misery she hadn’t heard Cat come in.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Alex demanded.

“You should let me interview her.” Cat crossed her arms, leaning against the closest set of lockers. “She could make or break our story about the corrupt cops in the NCPD.”

“Cat,” Kara breathed. “Now really isn’t the time to–”

“There’s always time for the truth,” Cat cut her off, bravely staring Alex down. “Get ahold of yourself, Agent Danvers. Your feelings for Detective Sawyer aside, she’s going to help us bring down an arm of Cadmus.”

If Alex had heat vision, her glare would have melted Cat on the spot.

“Let me talk to her,” Cat continued, unfazed. “What do you have to lose?”

Kara held her breath, waiting.

“Fine,” Alex snarled, brushing past them both. “Not like I wanted to talk to her anyway.”

Cat turned to Kara when Alex was gone. “Taking this well, is she?”

“She’s blaming herself because she fell for Maggie.”

“Well, the detective does have those devastating dimples…”

“It isn’t funny, Cat.” Kara sat heavily on one of the benches. “Maggie was a friend. An ally…”

Cat sighed, dropping her unaffected façade and settling next to Kara on the bench. “She may still be. Remember, Kara, try not to assume. Be as objective as you can, and if you can’t, hand the story to someone else.”

“Can you be objective? She could have killed me tonight. She could be working for the organization that kidnapped you.”

“Could she have? Killed you?” Cat’s eyes searched hers.

Kara nodded, knowing Cat deserved the truth. “If Maggie had wanted me dead, I’d be dead, and Alex would have killed her. Lillian knew exactly what she was doing sending Maggie after me.”

“Clearly not. You’re still here.” Cat went silent again for a moment. “Sounds like she chose death over harming you. She should at least get the chance to explain herself.”

Reaching out, Kara gently tucked a loose curl behind Cat’s ear, and Cat glanced up in surprise. A compulsion to touch had Kara’s fingers ghosting over Cat’s skin to gently cup her cheek.

Cat took a shallow breath, but she didn’t pull away as Kara’s thumb stroked over a perfect cheekbone. “I want to believe her, Cat. Just… get to the truth, okay?”

“That was always the plan.”

***

Ignoring the two burly agents on either side of the door, Cat entered the interrogation room and sat across from Maggie. Her perfect posture was in marked contrast to the way the detective hunched over the metal table, absently running her thumb over the chain attached to the handcuffs on her wrists. Maggie didn’t look up, even to see who came in, and Cat eyed her with empathy. “Let’s talk. On the record.” She slipped a reporter’s notepad from under her arm, sliding the pen out and clicking it once.

Raising her head, Maggie frowned at her like she’d snuck past security, and Cat winced at the dark bruise purpling her jaw. “Don’t feel like talking.” Her gaze fixed back on the table, her hair falling forward to obscure her face.

“I can wait. If I can hang in there for Barry Manilow finally coming out, you shouldn’t pose much of a challenge.”

“What do you want, Ms. Grant?” Maggie’s fingers traced over deep scratches in the steel, no doubt made by some alien or another, and Cat stifled a sigh. This was less an interview and more like trying to get Carter to talk to her over his cereal; her youngest son was not a morning person.

“The truth. I deserve it after what Cadmus did to me. The citizens of this city, the ones you swore to protect and serve, deserve to know if their police force is compromised.”

“And what do you think talking to me is going to accomplish?”

“You have the power to bring down one of the largest police departments in the country.”

“I don’t want to bring it down,” Maggie answered evenly, a thread of anger in her tone.

“You’re going to protect Cadmus then?” Cat needled, her pen poised over her notepad. The withering look Maggie gave her was almost as impressive as one of Cat’s own.

“Not every cop is on Cadmus’s payroll. The good cops are needed more than ever.”

“So you simply want Cadmus’s influence eradicated?” Cat said, adding a good dose of skepticism for effect.

“Look, this isn’t the story you come out of retirement for.” Maggie raised a hand to sweep her hair behind her ear, but the chain pulled her up short. With an exasperated sigh, she dropped her hand back to the table. “It’s dangerous. You saw how far Luthor was willing to go tonight. Pursuing this could get you killed.”

“Newsflash, Detective, I’m going to do it anyway.” Cat fixed Maggie with a steady, steely gaze. “We both know Cadmus thrive on shadows and secrets. Expose part of their operation to the light. Cut out the cancer on your force.”

Maggie sat back as far as the chain would allow, her expression guarded. “I gave everything I had to Alex. What more do you want?”

“I want your story. How did you come to work for them?”

“I don’t work for them,” Maggie spat. “Not like that.”

“Then explain it to me.”

Huffing out a breath, Maggie knitted and twisted her fingers, the chains rattling with every movement. Her eyes darted around the room, from the one-way glass dominating the wall to the video cameras, as if she were trying to see who was watching, who was listening. Cat cocked an eyebrow, waiting her out.

“You really think me telling you my sob story is going to change a damn thing?”

“You’d be surprised what I can do with a sob story. Why do you think Cadmus wanted me in the first place? Come on, Detective. Don’t you want to be heard?”

That seemed to be the button to push. Maggie steepled her fingers in front of her and leaned forward, her hands tapping restlessly against her lips. “I’d been with the Science Division two months before Braden hauled me into his office and told me how things were, what role I was expected to play.”

“And what role was that?” Cat asked, jotting a few notes down. Maggie tried to read her scrawl upside down.

“An expendable one. Braden and some other cops were snatching aliens off the streets and handing them over to Cadmus, but it didn’t always go well. So they tapped me for the job. They let me risk my ass to protect their own. If I died turning over an alien, that was one less woman, one less gay, one less alien ally on the force. Braden figured it was no huge loss.”

“And you were okay with that arrangement? Those aliens’ lives for your own?”

Maggie’s eyes narrowed. “You know what? Screw this.”

“Were you okay with it?” Cat insisted, needing Maggie’s answer both for her peace of mind and the record.

“No!” Maggie slammed her fists down on the table. “They threatened my family, my friends, but when it came time to hand over the first alien, I still let him go.”

“And how did Braden react to that?”

“Not well.” Maggie’s tone dripped with sarcasm. “I woke up in the hospital two days later. My aunt’s car was torched while I was out. I got the hint.”

Cat drew in a measured breath, refusing to feel sympathy. Not yet. “So you helped Braden kidnap innocent people.”

“I…” Maggie hesitated, the cuffs clicking softly as she fidgeted. Cat tried not to imagine a knife in those hands, what they could have done to Kara if Maggie had been the turncoat Alex feared. “I worked out a deal, okay? I’d hand over the dangerous aliens, the ones threatening the human and alien populations alike, if Cadmus left the innocents alone.”

“You worked out a deal that would allow you to continue to be a decent cop?”

“What?” Maggie blurted. “No. That’s…”

“You were keeping the innocent safe. Protecting M’gann and her network. Getting dangerous criminals off the streets. What’s the difference?” Cat goaded.

“It doesn’t matter how cruel or dangerous those aliens were. They had _rights_ , rights I violated.” Maggie’s voice quivered, and Cat could see how the situation must have eaten her alive.

“You investigated your superiors during this time. Your fellow officers. Why?”

Maggie rested her chin on her hands, propping herself up wearily. “There was no one I could trust. On the force. In the press. I didn’t know how far this had spread. I tell the wrong person and people die. So I kept records. Investigated. Ferreted them all out and hoped someday I could do something about it.”

“You could have trusted Alex, Supergirl…”

“I do trust them, and look where that got them tonight. I was trying to keep them out of this mess, keep them _safe_.” Her voice hitched, tears welling in her dark eyes.

Cat resisted the urge to lay her hands on Maggie’s. They were both pawns in Cadmus’s twisted game, targeted for their skills, to be used as weapons against the alien population. Cat had gotten off lucky, thanks in no small part to this woman, but Maggie had waged her private battle alone. That ended now. “Your aunt is safe. There are agents Alex trusts on the bar, and I promise you, I will personally blow the lid off Cadmus’s influence in your department.”

“Reporting any of this could get you killed,” Maggie cautioned.

“I’m aware.” A few weeks ago, pampered and protected in her life as CEO, Cat might have been more hesitant, but now that Cadmus had come for Kara, all bets were off. She had no intention of leaving Carter without a mother, but as long as she could keep him safe, she would pursue this story.

With a faint nod of respect, Maggie gave her one final warning. “If you’re going to do this, you need to do it fast. It’s the only thing that’ll keep Kara safe. Luthor is worried she’ll bring down her operation at the NCPD, and she’s willing to take out Supergirl to keep it going.”

“She won’t succeed. And I’ll do my best to protect you as well, Detective. I’ll splash your name far and wide as the cop who exposed Cadmus and their corruption. It might be enough to keep you alive.”

“Don’t worry about me, Ms. Grant,” Maggie said with a resigned smile. “Just make the bastards pay.”

***

The monitors showed every angle, every line of tension in Maggie’s body, and Alex couldn’t look away. That proud, defiant cop she’d tackled in a dusty warehouse was gone now, leaving behind a broken, resigned woman who buried her head in her hands as Cat left her alone.

“Is it,” Alex began, swallowing with difficulty, “is it true? About her aunt and the hospital?” She winced as she shifted the ice pack below her right eye. She was gonna have a heck of a shiner tomorrow.

“Police records in Blue Springs, Nebraska, and hospital records from National City Memorial back her up. They broke two of her ribs. Gave her a concussion. Braden had her back on the beat inside a week.” Winn pulled up an image of Lucy Lane on the screen. “And speaking of checking out, Lucy came back clean.”

“That doesn’t prove anything. She knows what we’re up to. If she’s involved, she’d know to cover her tracks. Sawyer came back clean too.”

“I believe her.” Cat said, startling Alex as she sidled up beside her. “If ever there was a tortured soul, it’s Detective Sawyer.”

“Tortured?” Alex snorted, trying to hold onto some last remnants of anger.

“Under impossible circumstances, she tried to protect innocent people and do the right thing. That’s what makes her story so compelling.” Cat paused, pinning Alex under her scrutiny. “I wonder if any of us would have done things differently.”

“She… um… she did get us the goods.” Winn replaced the image of Lucy with photos of over sixty cops. “She has this many dead to rights, and another twenty more with enough to get warrants. She was a one-woman task force.” His tone held a grudging note of respect.

Alex’s eyes were drawn back to Maggie as she fidgeted, rolling the chain back-and-forth through the d-ring embedded in the center of the table.

“She still thinks she’s going to die,” Cat murmured.

“Every corrupt cop and Cadmus operative in the city is going to want her dead,” J’onn agreed, weighing in at last. “I’ll get in Maggie’s head. See what else she knows. But when we take down these cops, it needs to happen in one fast strike. No letting any through the net.” He clapped a hand on Alex’s shoulder and squeezed briefly before he left the room with Cat.

The last of Alex’s anger dissipated, leaving her cold and numb. Exhaustion pulled at her limbs, and she was tempted to collapse under the weight, but Cadmus were still a threat, her father was still out there, and Kara was still in danger.

And now, Maggie…

Maggie had shielded people by sacrificing herself, letting herself be slowly eroded and twisted in order to survive. In the end, Alex couldn’t blame her for the choices she’d made. She knew she would have done much worse with her mom or Kara or J’onn on the line.

Now it was Maggie’s turn to be shielded and protected from harm. It was the least Alex could do.

***

“I feel so popular,” Maggie said wearily as J’onn entered the room. “There a line out the door?”

He stepped around the table and pulled a key from his pocket, unlocking her handcuffs. Maggie struck him as a woman who preferred to get straight to the point, and they didn’t have time to waste on pleasantries. “I’d like to read your mind.”

“You’re asking for permission? M’gann does it all the time.”

“Not like this. She picks up on surface thoughts if they’re strong enough. I want to go deeper. Into your memories.”

“Why?”

“You could know things you don’t realize you know, Detective.”

Crossing her arms over her chest, Maggie stared at him as if she could read _his_ mind. He sensed her unease, but she seemed more concerned about the experience itself than what he might learn. That was a relief considering how close she’d gotten to Supergirl and his best agent.

“It doesn’t hurt.”

“I don’t care if it does,” Maggie said after a moment, her mind made up. “What do I do?”

“Close your eyes.”

Maggie hesitated, her gaze flickering around the interior of the room, as if reminding herself she was as safe as she could be under the circumstances. She finally complied.

J’onn reached out with his mind only to suck in a deep breath as the connection was made, Maggie’s dark emotions rushing over him in a tidal wave. Anger and grief weighed heavy, but they couldn’t compete with her guilt. Intriguing though they were, he batted the feelings aside in pursuit of facts.

_Can you hear me?_

There was a pause as Maggie adjusted to the sensation. _Where do we start?_

J’onn projected reassurance, feeling her settle further as it washed over her. _Your most recent memories will be freshest._

Maggie’s last prisoner exchange flickered to life in his mind.

 _Remember the moments, like you’re watching a movie,_ J’onn advised.

She was startlingly good with details, and J’onn was impressed by how she catalogued a scene, committing anything of significance to her memory. He walked her back through the last few weeks, disheartened to learn how often the locations changed for the drop-offs.

Reaching the night Maggie handed Scorcher in, J’onn was fascinated to realize she had adapted to his presence in her mind, using his gifts to better analyze her own memories. J’onn studied everything dispassionately until Maggie approached a man in a hoodie who was holding a clipboard. She seemed uninterested in him, choosing instead to focus on the others, and J’onn wondered why.

His features were largely covered in shadow, and J’onn struggled to get a good look, Maggie subconsciously keeping her attention on everyone else. _Who is this?_ he asked.

_Nobody._

The lie was automatic and the first she’d told him. It didn’t appear to be deliberate deception on her part. More a reflex to shield someone she trusted. A cop protecting her source.

The man began speaking, and shock skittered through J’onn when he recognized that voice, and he forced Maggie to take a closer look.

Maggie’s mind abruptly recoiled from his, trying to shove him out, but J’onn held on. It was dangerous to continue now that she was resisting, but he compelled them both through the memory, needing to be sure. When her source finally leaned in, just enough light spilling over his features, J’onn let her go.

Eyes fluttering open, he watched as Maggie pitched forward, bracing herself on the table.

“Thought you said it didn’t hurt?” she ground out, head in her hands, and relief stole through him that he hadn’t caused any lasting harm.

“Do you know who he was?” J’onn asked, dipping his head to observe her reactions.

Maggie refused to answer, her tentative trust in him shattered.

“Please. It’s vitally important we learn where he is.”

She collapsed in her chair, breathing hard and glaring at him.

He couldn’t risk going back in her mind so soon, but he didn’t need to. He just needed Alex.

***

“Should I be offended?”

Kara’s lips curved into a half smile. She looked up from her seat on the padded bench in a seldom noticed corner of the DEO. It was quieter here, high above the fray below. “Offended?”

Cat sauntered closer with a confidence in her swagger Kara hadn’t seen in a while. It was nice to see it back. Very nice. Kara cleared her throat.

“That you didn’t stick around to see me in all my glory. I might be a little rusty, but you just missed one hell of an interview.” She sat next to Kara, crossing her toned legs.

“Heard every word,” Kara promised. “Even though some parts were hard to listen to.”

“Mmm.”

“How’d it go with J’onn while we were gone?”

Cat shrugged. “Nothing new. More jumbled memories of Lillian’s take on Frankenstein in Max Mara.” She eyed Kara for a quiet moment. “You seem to be… avoiding everyone up here. Should I leave you to it?”

“Please don’t.” Kara reached between them, taking Cat’s hand in hers. She was rewarded when Cat threaded their fingers together.

“Maggie is right,” Cat murmured after a moment. “We need to go live with the story as soon as possible. It won’t be as in-depth as I’d like, but we have enough to expose the corruption, if not Lillian for now. But we’ll get her, in time.”

“To protect Supergirl? Now that I know they’re coming, I’ll–”

“To protect Kara Danvers,” Cat clarified. “ _Kara_ is the bigger threat to them right now.”

“That’s crazy. Without Supergirl, I’m nobody.”

“You’re a reporter. Your words can topple empires more effectively than your strength. The truth can spread faster than you can fly. Even if you lost all your superpowers tomorrow, you would still have the power of the press. You can do far more lasting good – and damage – with that than being able to leap tall buildings in a single bound and superheat my lattes.”

“Never really thought of it like that,” Kara said quietly.

“Lillian has. That’s why she came for me, why she’s coming for you. Clearly, she had the means to kill you before, but it’s what Kara Danvers can do that’s forcing her to act now.”

The thought was darkly pleasing. “Good.”

“Winslow is vetting the information Maggie supplied on the jump drive. So far, it checks out. By the time you and I finish our story? We’ll have them all on the hook.”

“We?” Kara blinked at Cat owlishly.

“I thought it might be… intriguing… if we wrote the piece together.” Cat’s lips twitched at Kara’s flummoxed expression. “You can learn from the best, and it’d be like giving Lillian the double finger from both of us, I suppose. Show her that nothing she does will scare us off, only make us more determined. I’d heard your people were pretty big on that whole _stronger together_ schtick.”

“T…to… together? You… but you don’t…”

“Share bylines?”

Kara nodded stupidly.

“I’ll make an exception for you.” Cat stared at her, her gaze dipping to Kara’s lips before fixing once more on her eyes. For a moment, they could have been back at Cat’s penthouse, out on the balcony. Just a few inches from leaning in again and… “A lot of exceptions.”

Kara thought she might float away if Cat hadn’t been holding onto her.

“If you’d like to, of course.”

“I’d like,” Kara promised, breathless. “I’d definitely like.”

***

Lillian slapped her phone down on the balcony rail after reading her operative’s report. Six of her men had been taken into custody by the DEO, and Kara Danvers was still maddeningly alive, still a threat. The most galling thing? Sawyer and the bartender had taken her operatives down. Kara hadn’t lifted a single, superpowered finger.

While she may have been right about Sawyer’s talents, Lillian had misjudged her will to survive, and, perhaps, her relationship to the Danvers sisters. That was… unfortunate.

Sawyer’s aunt was beyond their reach now. The DEO had whisked her away before Cadmus could make Sawyer pay for her betrayal, but her precious bar was still there for the taking. With Sawyer no longer delivering such prized specimens, Lillian would need a new batch of lab rats.

Yes, the bar would do nicely. The handful of DEO agents protecting it now would be a minor inconvenience when Cadmus rained hell down on it. Supergirl would no doubt come to their rescue, and Lillian could kill two birds with one stone, one literally.

And if they shut down M’gann M’orzz’s little refugee operation? Even better. Cadmus needed a Green Martian for their studies. With J’onzz escaping their grasp, M’orzz would do.

A quick text had the techs prepping Scorcher for a night on the town. Her initial plans might have gone up in flames, but soon she’d watch her enemies burn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For these brilliant editors, much thanks:  
> catherinegrant ([ao3](http://archiveofourown.org/users/catherinegrant) | [tumblr](http://catherinegrant.tumblr.com/ask)),@spaceshipsarecool ([ao3](http://archiveofourown.org/users/spaceshipsarecool) | [tumblr](http://spaceshipsarecool.tumblr.com/ask)), @Revolos55 ([ao3](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Revolos55/pseuds/Revolos55) | [tumblr](http://saunteringvaguelydownwards.tumblr.com/ask)), and @musetotheworld ([ao3](http://archiveofourown.org/users/musetotheworld) | [tumblr](http://musetotheworld.tumblr.com/ask))


	9. Act V

Wrapping us up for the first half of the season is a heartbreaker from @pinkrabbitpro. Appreciate in the comments or try the [Tumblr ask](http://pinkrabbitpro.tumblr.com/ask)! 


	10. Act V

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lillian goes after the bar to punish Maggie for her betrayal - and kill Supergirl. M’gann must choose between protecting her identity and saving Alex.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> @xy0009 is at it again with the loveliness: ([ao3](http://archiveofourown.org/users/xy0009) | [tumblr](http://xy0009.tumblr.com))

From the shadows, Alex watched Maggie pace her holding cell. She was so tired she swayed with every step, her body begging for rest that her conscience would not allow. Taking a deep, fortifying breath, Alex approached. Maggie spotted her almost instantly and went still, bracing for another battle Alex had no interest in fighting.

“I need to show you something,” Alex said, waking her tablet and bringing up a photo of her father. “Your source. The one in Cadmus–”

Maggie crossed her arms and jutted out her chin. “I told your boss. He’s a good man stuck in an even worse hell than…” She trailed off when Alex put the screen against the glass.

The look on her face was answer enough, but Alex needed her to say the words. “Is this him?”

Maggie’s gaze slid to Alex and then back to the photo, her brow furrowing as she put the pieces together.

“I don’t want to hurt him.” Alex’s voice trembled but held. “I want to bring him home.”

Staggering a step closer to the glass, Maggie’s fingers settled lightly on the surface as she stared at the photo of Jeremiah. “Your dad?”

“Was he your source?”

“Yeah,” Maggie confessed quietly. “I wouldn’t have made it through these last nine months without him. The last time I saw him, I thought I recognized his eyes…” She looked up into Alex’s. “They were yours.”

Swallowing past a lump in her throat, Alex pulled the tablet down and powered it off.

“What is it about the Danvers?” Maggie murmured. “You all keep trying to save me, even when there’s no point.”

“Something you should know about my family, Sawyer. We don’t give up. I’m not giving up on my dad,” Alex promised, steel in her voice.

“Danvers…” Maggie began as the door to the holding cells clanged open behind them.

“And I’m not giving up on you, either.”

Maggie’s expression softened, her dark eyes warm as she gazed at Alex in disbelief.

“Agent Danvers?” J’onn called out, and Alex knew something was wrong.

With effort, she tore her eyes away from Maggie. “What is it?”

“Trouble at the bar.”

“What?” Maggie demanded, instantly concerned. “Is M’gann okay?”

“We need to move,” J’onn ordered, and Alex turned to follow.

“Alex!” Maggie pounded on the glass, drawing Alex up short. “Stay safe.”

Alex dipped her head once, turning away as she followed J’onn out the door.

Kara was waiting outside. “I’ll change, and…”

“No,” Alex told her, using her best big sister voice. It worked and Kara froze on the spot. “Lillian might be trying to lure you out, or trying to get Cat unprotected. You stay here with her. Understood?”

Kara pursed her lips and nodded, much to Alex’s relief. Playing the Cat card had been a cheap shot, one she couldn’t quite bring herself to regret. “Be careful.”

***

Alex wasn’t sure what she expected to find when her team fanned out and assumed their positions, but a hoard of corrupt cops rounding up aliens wasn’t it. Once she got confirmation her teams were in place, she gave the go.

Vasquez took point, kicking in the side door. They ran through the corridor behind the bar, encountering a young, uniformed cop. Vasquez dropped him before he could finish opening his mouth to shout a warning.

Alex’s usual squad of five had been supplemented with two more teams, and they needed the numbers. Thirty or more corrupt cops, in plainclothes and uniforms alike, were throwing themselves a cruel and brutal party. They were rounding up the aliens, beating and binding them in shackles, and Alex saw the small contingent of agents she’d left behind to protect the bar down by the pool tables, dead. It took all her training not to give into her fury, but she turned it loose just enough, giving the signal for the DEO teams to engage.

Some of the assholes actually thought they were there to help. One greeted Alex with a grin, and she wiped it off his face with an elbow to the face. “FBI!” she shouted as he fell, using their cover alias. “You’re under arrest!”

Most of the cops stilled immediately, panic setting in after the rush of the fight. Others tried to run and were swept up by DEO agents and wrangled into waiting vans outside. A handful, however, decided to go down swinging. Alex smiled at the prospect of payback for her father and Maggie, throwing herself into the fray with ass-kicking abandon. She ducked an incoming punch, catching and twisting the officer’s trailing arm and sending him to the concrete with a crunching flip.

When she came across Braden, Alex blocked his initial blow and kneed him right in the balls. “Maggie Sawyer says hello,” she snarled as he pawed at her tactical vest while slumping to the floor with a wheeze. She drove her elbow into his chin, taking him down without breaking a sweat.

Alex was relieved to see her teams still standing, a smattering of cops out cold on the floor, but among them were also aliens beyond saving. She looked away, focusing instead on the remaining cops being zip tied and led off while Vasquez released the remaining aliens.

Alex locked eyes with M’gann behind the bar. She’d been holding her own when the DEO had stormed in, and they exchanged a nod of mutual respect.

It was all too easy. “Report,” Alex barked over comms.

“Operation is proceeding as planned,” J’onn replied. “Good work, Alex.”

A loud groan sounded overhead, and Alex and her team looked up in disbelief as the metal roof peeled away like a god opening a can of tuna. She caught a glimpse of Scorcher, realizing too late Cadmus had a backup plan as a group of aliens descended into the bar.

Then her agents started screaming.

***

Sitting out the fight, while knowing Alex was putting her life on the line, had Kara practically pacing a groove in the floor at the DEO. She’d changed into her supersuit just in case, and Cat watched her wordlessly as they waited for Snapper’s edits, which were being carefully supervised by James for residual bias. The article was finished, and even Cat’s perfectionism hadn’t found fault with it. Despite Cat’s ego, Kara knew she respected the fresh eyes of an editor still in the trenches, and there would be some small changes before it went to print.

“Everything all right out there?” Cat asked, having approached Kara twice already. It was only on this third attempt that she overcame her own restraint and dared to ask.

Kara shrugged, her hearing tuned to Alex’s heartbeat despite the miles between them. She could hear every punch, every kick, and her muscles twitched with the desire to take flight, to swoop in and save the day.

And then it went quiet. J’onn’s proud, pleased voice came over the comms, commending Alex on a job well done, and Kara’s shoulders relaxed. “I think it’s…”

Something metal groaned, and Alex’s heart rate spiked abruptly. Kara was moving before she realized it. When the first scream reached her ears, she was already in the air, her own safety be damned.

***

The cluster of alien combatants and modified humans weren’t as easy to subdue as a squad of dirty cops. All of them were armed with kryptonite weapons, the green glowing sickly in the dim light of the bar. Alex reached up to engage her comm and warn Kara to stay away. Luthor would lure Kara into this trap over Alex’s dead body.

Which suddenly seemed like a distinct possibility when Scorcher sent a ball of fire indiscriminately Alex’s way. Heat rushed over her as she leapt clear, sliding into several stools. The bar ignited overhead with a whoosh.

Chairs flew. Bottles smashed, on the floor and over heads. Alex scrambled to her feet, jumping over fallen agents and aliens. She and Vasquez ended up back-to-back, weapons drawn. Despite Kara’s usual exhortations to contain and not kill, Alex had long ago made peace that sometimes the only way out of a fight was putting the other guy in a body bag.

When Scorcher turned on her again, her eyes cloudy and vacant under Cadmus’s control, Alex pulled the trigger. Scorcher kept coming, the bullets barely slowing her down. The Infernian began to glow, flames racing along her skin, and Alex knew there was nowhere left to run.

***

M’gann should have known better. Perhaps she’d softened in her time here on Earth. Too many years folding clothes and pouring drinks, keeping house for aliens passing through. Her most dangerous work had been sourcing weapons and medicines for non-human needs, a black market that extended into the darkest corners of National City and beyond. But when Scorcher came for Alex Danvers, M’gann used her powers to protect her from the Infernian. It was one last favor for Maggie, one small repayment on that deal with the devil.

If only J’onn had stayed outside, but just like a Green, he rushed in to help his agents, to have their back like an honorable commander should.

The Infernian released a wave of fire, and M’gann’s real form became visible in the flames. Alex and Vasquez scrambled to safety, just in time for Supergirl to swoop through the open roof and knock Scorcher into the opposite wall.

Other aliens bore down on the unsuspecting Kara, and she pivoted in surprise, stumbling back when the kryptonite began to sicken her. Alex stepped between her sister and the sea of threats, training her weapon on the nearest alien and firing.

With no need to hide any longer, M’gann unleashed her true nature. She flung the aliens and Cadmus agents across the bar with lethal force as J’onn looked on in horror.

And then it was over, smoke thick in the air as fire raced up the walls around them. Kara used her freeze breath to put out the flames, leaving them standing in the smoldering ruins of M’gann’s sanctuary.

“How dare you,” J’onn growled, his voice a snarl caught in his throat. He spoke in their native tongue, stumbling for the first syllable or two. M’gann hung her head in shame. No good excuse, no justification could touch the raw anger pulsing through him. She could feel it the way a human would feel the lack of oxygen in a sealed room, sucking the life from her body with the red hot inevitability of it.

He’d kill her.

M’gann had been sure of that since learning of his existence from Kara. In this ugly, hateful body she’d tried so hard to pretend wasn’t hers, J’onn could only see the murderers who’d slaughtered his family. She couldn’t blame him.

Agents shifted restlessly, looking from Alex to J’onn and back again for orders.

“I’m sorry.” M’gann shape shifted back into human form, awaiting the fate she could no longer outrun.

No blows rained down on her. No weapons fired. There was just Kara of Krypton, circling around to gently pull her unresisting arms into cuffs borrowed from her sister. They all knew she could easily escape, but she had no desire to. She was done.

“Take her in,” came J’onn’s final command before he marched outside.

Alex watched him go before turning back to M’gann. “Take her to home base,” Alex instructed Kara quietly. “Tell Winn to use White Martian protocols.”

It was the casual label in the end that brought her to tears. Years of stoicism washed away as Kara led M’gann outside to a waiting SUV. Despite her penance, her attempt at reinvention, she was once again a monster. But it was a relief, almost. No more lies, just the ancient guilt she’d never shaken off.

When her punishment came, she only hoped it would be swift, and that it would give J’onn some fraction of peace.

***

“Hey.” Maggie jerked her head up to find Alex standing outside her cell. She blinked, surprised she’d dozed off. “Hungry?” Alex opened the door and stepped inside, settling on the bunk with Maggie as she dropped a large pizza box between them.

“We didn’t save everyone.” Alex leaned back and closed red-rimmed eyes, looking as drained as Maggie felt. The smell of smoke clung to her, soot and ash staining her clothes, her voice hoarse. “But we saved most. And Braden and his buddies will be lucky to see the light of day ever again.”

Maggie absorbed that. “M’gann?”

Alex hesitated. “Safe. Bar took a lot of damage, but it’s still standing.”

Starving, Maggie picked up a slice laden with toppings and took a bite. “Let me guess. Scorcher?”

“Scorcher.” Alex sat up straighter and snagged a piece for herself, eating almost as quickly as Maggie. Wordlessly, they demolished the pizza between them.

After everything, the silence was almost companionable, and Maggie’s gaze lingered on Alex’s profile as Alex stared listlessly down the corridor. In those rare moments when Maggie had allowed herself to dream of a reality without Cadmus, she’d imagined dinners with this woman at fancy restaurants, Chinese takeout on the couch while watching TV, homemade pasta with candles on the table. In a cell with a greasy pizza between them hadn’t really made the list.

The absurdity hit her, and she chuckled bitterly, pulling Alex’s attention back to her. “Not that I don’t appreciate it, but I was kinda hoping for something more elaborate for my last meal.”

Alex bristled. “You really don’t think very highly of my skills, do you?”

Maggie picked at her toppings. “I know the reach and power of the people coming after me. Sooner or later, you’ll turn me over to the NCPD. I’ll be lucky to make it to a cell.”

“We’ll protect you,” Alex snapped, but the heat was gone as quickly as it came. She scrubbed her hand over her face, wincing when she reached her eye. “You just have to trust us. Trust me,” she added a little more softly, and their gazes met and held for a long moment.

“I do,” Maggie said, her feelings for this woman weighing heavy on her chest. “Just, don’t get hurt because of me, okay? I’m not worth it.”

“Yes, you are.” Alex lurched to her feet and grabbed the empty pizza box before stepping out of the cell, punching the button to close the door as Maggie soaked those words in, never having expected to hear them.

“Hey, Danvers,” Maggie called out, not quite ready for Alex to walk away. “Sorry about the, uh…” She gestured toward her face with a sheepish expression.

“I’ve had worse,” Alex drawled. “Sorry about your jaw.”

“I deserved it.”

Alex didn’t look so sure. “Get some rest, Sawyer.”

***

Honing in on the soothing rhythm of Alex’s heartbeat, Kara made her way to the maximum-security cell block, knowing her sister’s penchant for burying herself in work would be full force after the last forty-eight hours.

Alex was in the last of the cells, the one used for research and medical treatment. Her head was bent over a tablet, and Kara took a moment to eye her worriedly before stepping inside.

“Hey,” Alex croaked, her eyes bleary when they met Kara’s. The bruises and scratches on her face looked even worse under the fluorescent lights. “Everything okay?”

Kara gave her a tight smile. “That was going to be my line.”

“Mind won’t stop spinning,” Alex confessed. “About M’gann, Maggie… I just needed to–”

“Do something. I get it.” Kara leaned carefully against the glass as Alex tapped away on her tablet. She stared at Hank Henshaw’s body through the dual doors, where he was kept alive by tubes and battery powered machines. “You really think the answer to finding Jeremiah is inside him?”

“Maybe. His cybernetics are… complex.”

Kara frowned. “What we’re doing to him… keeping him sedated…”

“Don’t give me the ‘he has rights’ spiel, okay? We don’t have a choice.”

“So, you’d do this to me if I went bad?”

“Yeah. I would. Because I’d figure it out, fix it, and wake you up again.” Alex glared at Henshaw. “But him? He was already cruel and evil, and Cadmus made him a thousand times worse.” She tapped on the tablet and handed it over. “Strength to rival yours. Some form of laser vision. He can fly, Kara. It’s like Cadmus made a cyborg… Superman out of him.”

Unnerved, Kara absorbed the data. “Still. How would you feel if Cadmus did this to me?”

“They _want_ to do this to you. You get that, right? They made him a weapon. We need to know how he works in case there are more like him.”

Kara had to admit there was no choice. Jeremiah’s life was at stake, along with every alien on the planet. “When will you be ready?”

“Winn is writing some code to disable the enhancements. That’s the biggest delay.”

“Will that kill Henshaw?” Kara asked in alarm.

“We don’t think so, but it could leave him… incapacitated.” Alex grimaced at Kara’s disapproval. “Winn is doing his best to still allow for mobility, but all Henshaw’s limbs are cybernetic.”

“Alex…”

“I’m trying, okay?” Alex spat as she moved away, restless. “But we can’t just wake him up and let him wander. He has the power to destroy this whole facility, this whole city, and the desire to do it.”

“I’m worried less about his humanity and more about yours,” Kara said quietly.

“What if Lillian gets mad about what went down with Maggie? With the bar? What if she decides our father has outlived his usefulness?”

Kara’s stomach roiled at the thought. No wonder Alex couldn’t sleep.

Alex faced her again. “Do you really think this is all about revenge for me? That I just want to punish him for what he did to Dad?”

“Do you?” Kara asked honestly.

“Yes,” Alex seethed, “but if that’s all I wanted, he’d be dead already. I am trying to find a way that saves our father, stops Cadmus, and still gives this son-of-a-bitch his life. He’ll have the freedom to go on breathing and hating to his heart’s content. I don’t owe him any more than that.”

“Alex… I…”

“You wore your tactical suit, Kara.” Alex took a step closer when Kara went quiet. “You left the cape at home when we went to get Cat because you were ready to do whatever it took to save her. Don’t judge me for doing the same for my father.” She took a deep, shuddering breath.

“I’d have done the same for you,” Kara said solemnly, suspecting Alex needed to hear that, needed to realize how much she _mattered_ right now. “You get _that_ , right?”

Alex’s features crumbled, and Kara pulled her into her arms, holding her close as Alex fell apart at last.

***

The DEO was quiet when Kara stepped onto the landing pad an hour later. Both Maggie and Alex were getting desperately needed sleep, and J’onn had departed some time ago, requiring distance from M’gann’s presence to gain some perspective. She’d been unsettled by how readily M’Gann and Maggie seemed to accept their incarceration, but digging any deeper could wait. They all needed a damn break.

“So.”

Kara turned her head as Cat finished her trek up the stairs to join her on the landing area. “So?”

Cat eyed the horizon, beautiful and ethereal in the light of the full moon. The harshness of the city’s neon lights didn’t touch them up here. She looked tired but victorious, and Kara’s mood lightened in her presence.

“What does Kara Danvers do to celebrate when she’s written the story of the year?” Leaning on the railing, Cat turned to look at her with a smile.

“Co-written, actually,” Kara pointed out needlessly before joining Cat at the rail, their shoulders brushing. It reminded her of that last night on Cat’s balcony at CatCo, where Cat had tried to leave it all behind. She’d promised to be back, and right now, with the living warmth of her pressed against Kara’s side, Kara finally felt like she was.

“Hmm. You have some habits we need to break, but all told, you’re coming along nicely as a reporter. I’m proud of you.”

Kara’s heart stuttered at the praise, and a shy smile sprang to her lips. “Thank you. I am learning from the best.”

Cat tipped her head in wordless agreement and Kara chuckled.

“We did good,” Cat said after a moment. “Our article is already live online and we’ll make the early edition for print. The police in Cadmus’s employ are being rounded up as we speak. You’re safe… well, saf _er_ considering Cadmus is still out there. And we struck back at Lillian and her ilk. Hard. With any luck, we’ve shielded Detective Sawyer as well.”

“I hope so.” Kara sighed, Alex’s sobs still ringing in her ears. “Not just for her sake, but–”

“For your sister’s?” Cat guessed. “They do make a rather striking pair.” She shifted to face Kara more fully. “I am sorry about the bar, though. I need to figure out some way to help M’gann recover. The work she does is too important.”

Kara bit her lip, not wanting to ruin Cat’s mood by sharing the news about M’gann just yet.

“You never answered my question. What do you do to celebrate, Supergirl?”

“I don’t feel much like celebrating, honestly.” Too many people in her life were hurting, and there was nothing she could do about it.

“Well, I make a point of savoring the wins when they come.” Cat nudged her almost playfully with her elbow, and Kara blinked, realizing belatedly Cat was trying to cheer her up. “But you came up here for a reason, didn’t you?”

“I fly,” Kara admitted sheepishly. “Just… take to the skies and soar. There’s nothing quite like it.”

“Then go.” Cat flicked her wrist at the stars. “Go wild. You’ve earned it.”

Torn, part of Kara longed to do just that, needing to let go for a little while, but the rest of her longed to stay exactly where she was. “Come with me?”

Cat’s eyes widened slightly.

“The last time I took you flying was a few short miles from CatCo to Lord Technologies. You didn’t get the whole… experience.”

“And what does the whole ‘experience’ entail?” Cat said, stepping closer.

The faint scent of Cat’s perfume made Kara deliriously dizzy. “Um… I could… fly us along the coast? Give you the scenic route back to your penthouse?”

Cat’s fingers drummed on the rail as she considered it. “The fallout from our story is going to be considerable. There’s still a lot of work to do. And I’ll have to meet with J’onn in the coming days. Let him root around in my head again.”

Nodding, Kara did her best to conceal her disappointment.

“But…” Cat drawled. “I do need my beauty sleep. A little spin to unwind might not hurt.”

Kara repressed a grin. She stepped closer, carefully drawing Cat against her, their curves fitting together effortlessly. “Put your hands around my neck.” Cat complied, and Kara could only imagine what they looked like to the agents below. A quick glance confirmed Winn was watching them agape. Kara tried not to giggle. “Now put your feet on my boots.” Cat smirked faintly, but she followed the instructions. “Ready?”

“All yours, Supergirl. Just don’t drop me,” Cat teased as their feet left the ground.

“Never,” Kara promised.

***

“Calm down. Having a tantrum solves nothing.”

“Do you know how far back this sets our plans?” Lillian paced the room as Sam Lane watched with disapproval from the doorway. “Do you have any idea what that cop, Cat, and her pet alien have done to our network?”

“One branch has been compromised,” Sam allowed evenly. “There are others that can take its place. We’re still on schedule.”

“I should have killed that goddamn Kryptonian myself. Made Cat watch as her pet thrashed and died gasping at her feet.”

“Lillian…”

“Or that stupid cop. She took us down completely from the inside out. And now she knows I’m Cadmus.”

“Your word against hers, and when we’re done, the Danvers sisters, Cat Grant, and Detective Sawyer will no longer be a problem.”

“Well they’re a problem now,” Lillian reminded him. “How many more plans are we going to let them unravel?”

“The media will be all over the NCPD story. It’ll turn the tide of public opinion against us. You kill Sawyer now, and you’ll only make matters worse.”

“Fine,” Lillian conceded. “But after taking Cat down a few pegs she’s crawling back. She needs to be taught a lesson.”

Sam sighed. Arguing with his wife when she got like this was pointless. “You’re the one who wanted to tangle with Grant. I warned you–”

“Yes, Sam, you warned me. Always playing it safe, aren’t you? Need I remind you that until I joined Cadmus you were simply a government side project with the budget to match?”

“You’re wasting time focusing on Grant. We have bigger objectives. Keep after her, and she’ll remember your involvement. We don’t need more complications after the mess with Sawyer.”

“Trust me, Cat needs my attention.” Lillian drew closer, reaching out to adjust one of the medals on his uniform. “Although your concern is touching.”

“I’m concerned about the project. You’ve been invaluable, Lillian, but if you continue to be reckless, you’ll also be replaceable.” Lillian narrowed her eyes at his threat, but she wisely retreated. Sam slipped an envelope out of his pocket and tossed it on the dining room table. “Here. An excuse to go shopping.”

With a glare, Lillian scooped up the invitation and opened it. “Another presidential fundraiser. How does Olivia find time to govern when she’s always begging for money?”

“Our presence is required two nights from now. Grant is also on the guest list, and I’m informed the president is personally hounding her to put in an appearance. I expect you to behave if she shows.”

Lillian’s mouth curved into a wicked grin. “Behave? Oh Sam, I’m going to arrange a very special welcome for her. Just you wait and see.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For these brilliant editors, much thanks:  
> catherinegrant ([ao3](http://archiveofourown.org/users/catherinegrant) | [tumblr](http://catherinegrant.tumblr.com/ask)),@spaceshipsarecool ([ao3](http://archiveofourown.org/users/spaceshipsarecool) | [tumblr](http://spaceshipsarecool.tumblr.com/ask)), @Revolos55 ([ao3](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Revolos55/pseuds/Revolos55) | [tumblr](http://saunteringvaguelydownwards.tumblr.com/ask)), and @musetotheworld ([ao3](http://archiveofourown.org/users/musetotheworld) | [tumblr](http://musetotheworld.tumblr.com/ask))


	11. In two weeks on episode 7

---  
  
## IN TWO WEEKS ON SUPERGIRL VIRTUAL SEASON!

Cat and Kara get more than they bargained for on a trip to Metropolis.

Alex must trust Lucy to defend Maggie when the NCPD wants their detective back.

And J’onn tries to deal with the truth about M’gann.

Don’t miss episode 7 - Splash by @fictorium, @inspectorboxer and @zennie_fic! Beginning August 7th on the [Supergirl Virtual Season](http://archiveofourown.org/users/sgvirtualseason)! 

And as always, we bow down to the talented @reginalovesemma ([ao3](http://archiveofourown.org/users/reginalovesemma) | [tumblr](http://reginalovesemma.tumblr.com)) for these amazing gifsets! You can leave comments about it here, or hit the [tumblr ask box](http://reginalovesemma.tumblr.com/ask). 


	12. Bonus: M'gann revealed!

Whoa! Look at this wicked poster @ofpensandcupcakes created for this episode! Direct your praise to the comments below or [Tumblr ask](https://ofpensandcupcakes.tumblr.com/ask). 


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